Casric Stars Snatch Dramatic Late Draw Against Cape Town City in Tense PSL Playoff Battle
Wednesday afternoon at Solomon Mahlangu Stadium delivered one of the most dramatic moments of the 2025 PSL Promotion Playoffs, as Casric Stars held Cape Town City FC to a thrilling 1-1 draw in a high-stakes encounter filled with passion, tension, and late drama.
Cape Town City looked composed and dominant in the first half, with Namibian international Prins Tjiueza breaking the deadlock in the 26th minute after a well-worked attacking move. The Citizens controlled possession and went into the break with a narrow 1-0 lead.
However, the second half belonged to Casric Stars.
From the first whistle of the second stanza, Stars came out guns blazing, pressing high, attacking with urgency, and pinning Cape Town City deep into their own half. Rather than build on their lead, City appeared to go into survival mode — choosing to sit back and absorb the pressure. This defensive mindset allowed Casric to dominate possession and keep the visitors on the back foot.
Cape Town City’s defence, marshaled by veteran goalkeeper Darren Keet, began to crumble under pressure. Poor clearances and directionless long balls from the backline repeatedly handed possession back to Stars, who nearly punished the Citizens several times — including shots that rattled the woodwork and others that were dramatically cleared off the line.
The match took a sharp turn with the introduction of Kermit Erasmus, the former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns striker, who injected renewed energy and experience into the Casric attack. His movement and creativity created panic in the City defence and helped stretch the game further in Stars’ favour.
One of the game’s biggest moments came 15 minutes before full-time when Decide Chauke nearly equalised for Casric, only for his goal-bound effort to be miraculously cleared off the line by City skipper Thamsanqa Mkhize.
As City looked to hold on to their slender lead, the pressure finally told deep into stoppage time. With five minutes of added time on the clock, a desperate tackle by a City defender in the box led to a penalty for Casric Stars. In what was effectively the last kick of the match, Mlilo stepped up and coolly slotted home, sending the home crowd into jubilation and sealing a well-deserved 1-1 draw.
The result leaves both sides with everything to play for in the remaining matches of the PSL Promotion Playoffs, with Casric Stars showing they have the fight and belief to push all the way for a place in the top flight.
Final Score:
Casric Stars 1 – 1 Cape Town City FC
(Scorers: Tjiueza 26’ | Mlilo 90+5’ pen)