PSL giants drop points in opening round

Sundowns and Chiefs drew 1-1 in a Pretoria showdown between the clubs who finished first and third last season, but it failed to live up the blockbuster billing.

Pirates, second in the last campaign and many pundits' tip to unseat Sundowns, were surprisingly held 1-1 at home by ultra-cautious promoted outfit Highlands Park.

Maritzburg United, who exceeded expectations by coming fourth last season, suffered a shock 2-0 loss to Golden Arrows and were the only home team to lose.

Black Leopards, the other promoted club, won despite having a home fixture moved to the ground of opponents Polokwane City because their own was considered unsafe.

There were also home victories for 2016-17 champions Wits, AmaZulu, Bloemfontein Celtic and Cape Town City on an opening weekend that produced 15 goals in eight games.

Wits' 3-0 drubbing of Free State Stars in Johannesburg earned them the distinction of being the first leaders of the Premiership, albeit on goal difference from five other sides.

The football was the usual South African mix of good, average and mediocre with two superb goals to celebrate and many botched set-pieces to bemoan.

Austrian Roland Putsche of Cape Town and Zimbabwean Knox Mutizwa of Arrows got goals to be proud of that broke deadlocks and set up two-goal victories for their clubs.

Unmarked Putsche latched on a loose ball just outside the box and slammed an unstoppable, rising shot past SuperSport United goalkeeper Ronwen Williams at Cape Town Stadium.

Mutizwa controlled the ball with his chest inside the penalty area, then unleashed a bicycle kick that left Ghana-born Maritzburg goalkeeper Richard Ofori helpless.

Off the field, Sundowns' 2016 CAF Champions League-winning coach Pitso Mosimane slammed TV commentators for choosing Chiefs' Khama Billiat as the man of the match.

"What did he do?" asked outspoken former South Africa striker Mosimane about Zimbabwean Billiat, who switched from Sundowns to Chiefs during the close season.

Another Sundowns old boy, Ramahlwe Mphahlele, gave Chiefs an early lead, dispossessing Uruguayan Gaston Sirino and firing past Uganda goalkeeper Denis Onyango.

Brazilian Ricardo Nascimento levelled midway through the opening half from a penalty awarded when New Zealander Jeremy Brockie was fouled, and the woodwork denied both sides thereafter.

Pirates gifted Highlands the lead when goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands failed to make contact with a Gladwin Shitolo back pass and the ball trickled into the net.

The Soweto Buccaneers, chasing a first league title since 2012, needed a penalty just past the hour to equalise with Zambian Justin Shonga sending Zimbabwean Tapuwa Kapini the wrong way.