Mamelodi Sundowns suffered their first Betway Premiership defeat, losing 1-0 at the hands of Golden Arrows at King Zwelithini Stadium on Wednesday.
Junior Dion’s first-half header was enough to give Manqoba Mngqithi’s side a triumph at home.
Miguel Cardoso made only one change from their last match’s starting lineup, with Jayden Adams stepping into the midfield for Kutlwano Letlhaku.
Meanwhile, Arrows brought back Nhlanhla Zwane and Thokozani Khumalo to the starting line-up with Themba Mantshiyane and Sabelo Sithole, making way for them.
The match burst into life with high intensity right from the first whistle with Sundowns immediately taking control as they sought an early opener.
The home team struggled to advance and create scoring opportunities, as Sundowns’ relentless pressure gave them little space to work with.
However, Arrows slowly started to build some momentum as the match wore on, even though they didn’t have much action near the opponents’ goal.
In the 30th minute, Arrows broke the stalemate when Junior Dion headed a corner kick from Ayabulela Maxwele into the net, giving his side the lead.
Nuno Santos made his debut for the Tshwane giants in the second half, coming on for Adams to provide more attacking drive for Cardoso’s troops.
As time went on in the second stanza, Sundowns made a few attempts to get back into the game, but the opposing defense was a tough nut to crack.
The Brazilians continued to press but couldn’t find a breakthrough, and the home team held on for all three points.