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Manqoba Mngqithi, the newly appointed Lamontville Golden Arrows manager, made a significant impact on Wednesday evening by halting Mamelodi Sundowns’ impressive winning streak in the Betway Premiership. The 1-1 draw at Mpumalanga Stadium marked his debut with Arrows, as they faced off against the league leaders.
Sundowns had won their previous five matches in the league, but Golden Arrows managed to hold them to a draw, thanks to Keenan Phillips’ first-half goal. However, Sundowns’ Lucas Ribeiro Costa responded with a Panenka penalty before the break to level the score.
Reflecting on the match, Mngqithi acknowledged that his team didn’t perform flawlessly but praised their resilience. In an interview with SuperSport TV, the former Sundowns coach stated, “I’m not entirely convinced that a draw truly reflects how the game unfolded. What I can say for sure is that we came out strong and gave it our all. We had a few fortunate moments towards the end that could have changed the outcome.”
Mngqithi’s return to coaching after being dismissed by Sundowns in December proved a milestone as he faced off against his former team, and his side’s defensive efforts disrupted Sundowns’ pursuit of a sixth consecutive win.
