Mamelodi Sundowns Colombian striker Brayan León was the hero of the night, bagging a brilliant brace to secure all three points for his side.
The Buccaneers made two changes from the win over Marumo Gallants as Deon Hotto and Kamogelo Sebelebele were recalled in place of Ndaba and Deano van Rooyen, while Sundowns were boosted by the return of Nuno Santos who missed the win over MC Alger through suspension, with Arthur Sales not dropping in the squad.
The Buccaneers signalled their intent early, carving out two big chances inside the opening 15 minutes for Deon Hotto and Yanela Mbuthuma in the box. However, Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams stood firm, producing two superb saves to keep his side level.
Brayan León broke the deadlock in the 37th minute, timing his run perfectly to meet a diagonal pass from Nuno Santos before finishing clinically from a tight angle.
Just four minutes later, León struck again linking up once more with Santos before being picked out by Aubrey Modiba and rifling home to send his side into the break with a commanding 2–0 lead.
The Orlando Pirates, who came into the match with a strong home record, fought back early in the second half. In two minutes of the second half, Middle fielder Patrick Maswanganyi pulled one back with a long-range effort that took a deflection off Teboho Mokoena, wrong-footing Ronwen Williams in goal.
Mswanganyi’s goal brought hope into Soweto Giants and ignited the stands, but despite late pressure and spirited attacking play, the Buccaneers couldn’t find an equaliser before the final whistle, leaving the Mamelodi Sundowns with all three points and tightening an already unpredictable title race.
The win was huge for Brazilians, as they cut Orlando Pirates lead and shaking their standings on Betway premiership league.They are closed to within three points of Pirates at the top of the league while still holding a game in hand as the season moves into its business end.