United Artists fought hard to earn a 1-0 victory over Muthelo FC in their SAB League match at the Vuwani Nandoni grounds on Saturday.

The match was a do-or-die affair for United Artists as losing the match would pull them out of the league title race. Muthelo spent the better part of the game entertaining their supporters with their dribbling skills and short passes. That added frustration to the desperate strikers of Artists. The keeper of Muthelo, Muambiwa Ndou, was a star to watch throughout the game. Ndou denied Artists several sure goals through his acrobatic goalkeeping.

The referee, Joel Baloyi, denied Artists what was arguably a clear penalty. A defender of Muthelo, Isaac Makhuvha, handled the ball within his own penalty area. Instead of blowing the whistle, Baloyi waived a play-on signal as if nothing had happened. Realizing that the defenders seemed not to be serious enough, the striker of Muthelo, Gift Ramaxwaila, abandoned his position and went back to play as a sweeper.

No goal was seen during the first half. The only player who was booked for rough tackling was Tshililo Mufamadi of Muthelo. He tackled Dakalo Ravhura. United Artists’ long-awaited goal finally came in the 78th minute. Tony Mudzungwane headed home, following a scramble within the box.