Mamelodi Sundowns lost 2-1 to Al Hilal in their CAF Champions League Group C clash at Stade Amahoro in Rwanda on Friday night.
The first real chance of the game fell to Tashreeq Matthews just 10 minutes in who saw his effort come off the crossbar.
Matthews again missed another glorious chance five minutes later with his shot blocked out for a corner.
Mohamed Abdel Rhman came inches close to breaking the deadlock for the home side in the 40th minute but missed the whipped-in cross.
Abdel Rhman and his teammates’ resilience paid off on the stroke of halftime after they were awarded a penalty which he neatly tucked away to make it 1-0.
In the 47th minute, Brayan Leon Muniz rose highest but fluffed his shot which came off his thigh.
Sundowns were left to rue that missed chance as Al Hilal made it 2-0 two minutes later with Jean Claude Girrumugisha unleashing a low powerful shot past Denis Onyango.
Arthur Sales then came off the bench to grab a consolation in the 61st minute with a well-taken shot into the top right corner.
The visitors almost pulled matters level through Peter Shalulile in the 74th minute but thanks to Soufiane Ouedraogo’s point-blank save with his feet, the score remained unchanged.
The win takes Al Hilal to eight points and top of Group C, three points ahead of Sundowns.
Did you know that the iDiski Times Digital Newspaper is completely free! Download it now by clicking the button below or fill in the form to have it sent to you every week.