Pirates suffer back-to-back defeats as Sundowns claim first win | OneFootball

Pirates stunned yet again, Sundowns off the mark

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Orlando Pirates have suffered their second defeat of the 2025/26 Betway Premiership campaign at the hands of Marumo Gallants, while defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns overcame AmaZulu to register their first win.

The Buccaneers took an early lead through playmaker Patrick Maswanganyi in the 16th minute, before the hosts leveled matters courtesy of Zimbabwean winger Daniel Msendami, who was at the end of a well-worked team move.

With the game looking set for a share of the spoils, newly signed Jaisen Clifford, who was linked with Pirates before signing for Gallants, scored the crucial goal at the death, ensuring that maximum points remain in Bloemfontein.

The result is a major setback for Abdeslam Ouaddou’s men as they are now positioned in 14th-place after two matches played, having lost their opening match to Sekhukhune United. On the other hand, Bahlabane Ba Ntwa are at the summit of the table.

Meanwhile, Sundowns returned to winning ways with a commanding 2-0 win over Usuthu at Loftus Verfeld Stadium, thanks to goals from deadly frontman Iqraam Rayners and winger Tashreeq Matthews, who put the game to bed in stoppage time.

Having been held to a 1-1 draw in their league opener against Chippa United over the weekend, Masandawana are back in a familiar territory on the log standings, as they moved up to third-place with four points accumulated.

Now, Miguel Cardoso and his charges will turn their focus to the blockbuster clash against Pirates in the MTN8 semi-final at a sold-out Orlando Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Soweto giants head into the encounter as reigning champions.

In the other Betway Premiership match that took place on Tuesday, newly promoted Orbit College got off the mark with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at the expense of newly rebranded Siwelele FC at Dobsonville Stadium.