Sundowns remain second after being held by Richards Bay in Betway Premiership

Mamelodi Sundowns failed to ascend into first place in South Africa’s Betway Premiership after the reigning champions were held to a scoreless draw on Sunday by plucky Richards Bay.

A 1-1 draw for title rivals Orlando Pirates in the Soweto Derby earlier on Sunday presented a golden opportunity for Sundowns to take full control of the title race, but they will have to try again on Wednesday at Polokwane City.

Flat performance from Sundowns on return from continental duty

Occupied by their ongoing CAF Champions League campaign, which saw Masandawana advance to the final four days earlier after taking out Tunisia’s Espérance Tunis, the visitors looked a bit flat at the uMhlathuze Stadium. The champions could have taken an early lead but Richards Bay keeper Ian Otieno produced an excellent reaction save to deny Khulumani Ndamane’s header.

Not too long after, Sundowns keeper Ronwen Williams was called into action with a diving save of his own following a Richards Bay corner.

The stalemate continued into the second half, where the favorites continued to look uninspired upon their return to domestic duties. Richards Bay came close to a surprise opener when Sanele Barns got around Williams, but Lundi Mahala put his effort off target under duress with an empty net begging. Late on, Barns squandered an excellent chance by putting his shot right at Williams.

A final push for the winner by Sundowns set up Peter Shalulile in stoppage time but the Namibian put his shot just wide with Otieno beaten. The CAF Champions League finalists remain favorites to eventually claim first place despite being a point behind, considering they still have a game in hand on Pirates.

The State of the Title Race after this weekend’s action 🇿🇦🏆#SSDiski | #BetwayPrem pic.twitter.com/9Xxj9x6RZv

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) April 26, 2026

However, they will need to be sharper on Wednesday in Limpopo province, the first of a doubleheader this week against Polokwane with the teams facing off next Sunday in Pretoria.