A 97th-minute strike from Atusaye Nyondo salvaged a point for AmaTuks as they drew 1-1 with Mpumalanga Black Aces at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The hosts started the match like a house on fire and had the visitors against the ropes early on. A Mistake from Mwedihanga gifted Aces the ball midway in the Tuks half and the cross came in from the right and found Mbatha on then from the left and Mwedihanga cleared and conceded a corner which did not amount to much. Tuks then immediately launched the ball forward with Coetsee finding Zwane on the left flank and he was one on one with Mabokgwane who brought him down just on the edge of the penalty box. Mnyamane's free kick found Kebede at the near post but his glancing header went over the crossbar.

In the 16th minute, a wayward pass from Nyondo again gifted Aces the ball midway in the Tuks half but Maruping recovered well to block the shot in the penalty box. Moments later Ntombayithethi launched the ball forward to find Nyondo down the centre of defence and he delayed the ball to wait for support and finally decided to go on his own, rounding the defence but there were no red jerseys in the box when he played the ball in.

In the 22nd minute a clearance from the back found Zwane down the left flank, he played the ball inside but it was too far for Nyondo. Three minutes later Aces won a corner which found an unmarked Hendricks on the edge of the 6-yard box but his header went over the crossbar.

In the 27th minute, Nyondo's header on the penalty spot looped up and hung the ball over the defence. Ntombayithethi beat the keeper to it but his header went over the crossbar.

In the 30th minute, Mbesuma latched on to another ball through the Tuks defence and this time made no mistake, poking the ball past Coetsee's right for the opener. Moments later Aces won a corner which found Ngalo at the far post but Coetsee was equal to the challenge, making the save on his right and parrying the ball past the upright for a corner.

AmaTuks almost pulled one back when Nyondo latched onto a ball played through the Aces defence on the left flank and played it across the face of goal in search of a team mate but the ball was too far forward for Mnyamane. Despite the many chances created the visitors could not find the equaliser before the half time break

Both teams picked up where they left off in the second half with Tuks unable to capitalise on the many chances they created and Aces happy to sit back and catch the visitors on the counter. In the 80th minute Aces almost doubled the lead after second half substitute Moseamedi had the beating of Coetsee but the ball hit the foot of the upright and sailed across the face of goal to find Mbesuma who had an easy tap-in with no-one in front of him but Mwedihanga popped out of nowhere to clear the ball off the line and with 10 minutes still to play Tuks were still in with a chance. 

Deep into the referee's optional time Tuks won a free kick on the centre line and the experienced Bacela took it quickly passing the ball down the right flank to a sprinting Mosadi. He then sent in a pinpoint accurate cross to find Nyondo in front of goal and the Malawian International slotted the ball past Mabokgwane for the equaliser with only 30 seconds left on the clock. The referee ended the match straight after the restart. 

Nyondo scored both AmaTuks' goals against Mpumalanga Black Aces this season. The first was in a 1-0 win at Loftus Versfeld and the second in this draw. "I seem to enjoy scoring against them. It was a team effort; we needed a goal and kept pushing for it. We started well in the first half and we continued to give them a hard time in the second half. We didn't drop our heads after conceding the goal; the way we started both halves we knew that we would score; it was just a matter of time. From the word go we pushed for all three points but unfortunately only managed one. It is good for us to get a point away from home and we have to make sure we win all our matches at home," said Nyondo. 

The result sees AmaTuks climb over Jomo Cosmos to 14th position on the log on goal difference as they prepare to host Ajax Cape Town at the Tuks Stadium on Wednesday night. 

Aces: Mabokgwane, Mzava, Ngalo, Nodada, Hendricks, Matsi, Modiba, Jayiya (Mashikinya 74'), Mbatha (Mosiamedi 46'), Ngoma (Moon 62'), Mbesuma

AmaTuks: Coetsee, Mwedihanga, Mthethwa, Sibande, Jaure, Maruping, Ntombayithethi (Ngubane 45'), Kebede (Bacela 64') Zwane (Mosadi 45'), Mnyamane, Nyondo