Mamelodi Sundowns were made to endure a frustrating contest as they played to a goalless draw with Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday night.
The match started at a good tempo as both sides managed to create a shot on goal inside the opening five minutes.
Rivaldo Coetzee fired over from a direct free-kick in the second minute, before Dennis Onyango was called into action to deny TTM striker Justin Shonga a certain goal.
Sundowns were enjoying the lion's share of possession and they continued to prod and probe the TTM defence, while the visitors sat back waiting for a chance to hit their opponents on the counter.
Hlompho Kekana really should have fired Downs in front in the 14th minute, but he was left cursing his luck after his powerful effort was denied by the woodwork.
TTM briefly threatened to snatch the lead against the run of play on 17 minutes as Justin Shonga burst free on the flank before whipping a cross in towards the danger area, where Lerato Lamola headed the ball over the bar.
And, after a water break midway through the half, the tempo of the game appeared to taper off along with the goalscoring chances.
There was one last chance for Sundowns in the closing stages of the half as Peter Shalulile managed to race clear of the defence with just the keeper to beat, but his shot on goal was a tame one and easily collected by Washington Arubi.
Sundowns continued to control proceedings after the break, although they failed to make their dominance count as several passages of play broke down in the final third of the pitch.
TTM grew in confidence as the half wore on but they never really managed to put the Sundowns defence under any real pressure.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Sundowns threw everything they had at the visitors in the closing stages of the contest, but the TTM defence held firm as the hosts were forced to settle for a share of the spoils.
- TEAMtalk media