Soccer
Richards Bay and Golden Arrows draw in Betway Premiership─── ILSE SMALBERGER 09:24 Sat, 31 Jan 2026
KwaZulu-Natal rivals Richards Bay and Golden Arrows played out a 2–2 draw in a Premiership match at the Richards Bay Stadium on Friday night.
It took just nine minutes for the Natal Rich Boys to break the deadlock after they were awarded a penalty. In-form Moses Mthembu stepped in and scored his third goal in as many matches to hand Richards Bay a 1–0 lead.
However, Abafana Bes’thende hit back through Lungelo Nguse, who netted his eighth goal for the club to level matters in the 27th minute. Two more goals followed in the second half, first by Lungelo Ndlovu for Arrows, giving them a 2–1 lead five minutes into the second half.
Richards Bay, however, levelled matters shortly after the hour mark when man of the match Mthembu crossed Lundi Mahala, who headed it into the back of the net.
Man of the match Moses Mthembu. Photo: X/Richards Bay FC
The draw left the Natal Rich Boys placed ninth in the league standings – four points behind eighth-placed Polokwane City. Abafana Bes’thende, on the other hand, moved up to the tenth spot in the standings – two points behind Richards Bay.
Top of the log is Mamelodi Sundowns (32 points), followed by Kaizer Chiefs (30 points) and Orlando Pirates in third (29 points).
Richards Bay will next play Siwelele FC in the Nedbank Cup Round of 32 on 8 February, while Arrows will focus on their Nedbank Cup Round of 32 match against Orbit College on 7 February.
