10-man Sundowns keep pressure on Pirates after hard-fought win over Arrows

Mamelodi Sundowns secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Golden Arrows in a tense PSL encounter at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday, keeping pace with title rivals Orlando Pirates despite playing over 30 minutes with 10 men.

The match began as a tight contest, reminiscent of the reverse fixture where Arrows handed Sundowns their first loss of the season last September. However, it was the home side, under the guidance of Miguel Cardoso, who asserted control this time.

A brilliant passage of one-touch football culminated in Teboho Mokoena finding himself in the perfect position to fire the ball into the bottom corner, giving Sundowns a well-deserved lead that they carried into halftime.

Just two minutes after the restart, Iqraam Rayners doubled the advantage, notching his ninth league goal of the campaign with a clinical first-time header from an inch-perfect Arthur Sales cross.

Adams sent off

However, Sundowns’ momentum was halted shortly after when Jayden Adams was shown a straight red card for a dangerous tackle on Ayabulela Maxwele. The challenge forced a tactical reshuffle, with Sales being substituted for Marcelo Allende to reinforce the midfield alongside the tireless Mokoena.

Despite being a man down, Sundowns nearly extended their lead when a deflected Nuno Santos shot found the net via Rayners, only for the goal to be controversially disallowed for offside.

Golden Arrows eventually found a way back into the game when Sede Junior Dion, the league’s top scorer, converted a penalty to take his season tally to 10 goals. However, Sundowns held on for the vital three points.

The result leaves Sundowns level with Orlando Pirates on 44 points, trailing in second place only on goal difference, after the Buccaneers also won their simultaneous match against Polokwane City.