Bloemfontein Celtic came back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw with fierce rivals Free State Stars in an Absa Premiership match at the Free State Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Luyolo Nomandela and Basit Adam gave Ea Lla Koto the lead before Musa Nyatama and Rodrick Mutuma inspired Phunya Sele Sele to a comeback.

After a cagey opening quarter of an hour to the match, Celtic nearly took the lead in the 17th minute against the run of play when Joel Mogorsi sent in a sweet cross from the left flank which was met by the on rushing Ruzaigh Gamildien, but his dividing header went marginally wide of goal.

Danny Venter had a chance to rattle the Celtic goals in the 28th minute when he unleashed a cracker of a shot from 40-yards, but Celtic keeper Patrick Tignyemb was perfectly positioned to hold onto the stinging shot.

On the half hour mark Katlego Mashego went on a lovely run down the left wing and supplied a pin-point cross into the box which was met by an unmarked Adam who was faced with an open net, but he headed over the bar from just six yards out.

A minute later Lerato Lamola went closer for Celtic when he skilfully lost his marker, but he saw his shot blocked by Tignyemb.

The visitors took the lead just five minutes before the interval when Venter’s cross found Nomandela and the Bafana Bafana midfielder’s deft header found the back of the net to make it 1-0.

Five minutes into the second half Stars increased their lead when Adam quickly turn outside the box and unleashed a shot that beat Tignyemb on his right side to make it 2-0.

Celtic got a goal back eight minutes later. Nyatama showed some brilliant individual skill when he dribbled his way past three defenders in the box and toe poked his effort past the Stars keeper.

Celtic completed their comeback in the 72nd minute when Mutuma, who had just come on 10 minutes earlier, headed home from just 12-yards out to beat the keeper who was caught in two minds at whether to come out or stay on his line.

There would be no further late drama as both sides settled for a share of the spoils.

Bloemfontein Celtic (0)2 (Nyatama 58’, Mutuma 72’)

Free State Stars (1)2 (Nomandela 40’, Adam 50’)

Teams:

Bloemfontein Celtic: Tignyemb, Mogapi, Nthethe, Letlabika, Mzava, Leonard (Koapeng 54’), Arwuah, Lamola,Nyatama, Gamildien (Mutuma 63’), Mogorosi, Moses, Lakay (Lakay 80’)

FS Stars: Agyei; Basit, Kerspuy, Abraw, Venter (Mkatshwa 84’), Mashego, Nomandela (Esterhuizen 77’), Masehe, Thebekang, Sadate, Shabalala (Mthethwa 51’)