The Brazilians were inspired by a clinical brace from Colombian striker Brayan Leon to claim all three points away from home.The match began at a high tempo, with both sides showing intent from the outset. Pirates carved out several promising opportunities in the opening stages but failed to make them count.
Sundowns, however, made their moments matter. Their slick combination play paid off ten minutes before the break when Leon opened the scoring. The in-form forward struck again four minutes before half-time, completing his brace to hand Masandawana a commanding 2-0 lead at the interval.
Pirates responded almost immediately after the restart, with Patrick Maswanganyi pulling one back just two minutes into the second half to set up a tense finish.
Both teams introduced fresh legs as the contest wore on, but neither side could alter the scoreline as Referee Jelly Chabani eventually brought proceedings to a close, confirming a crucial away victory for Sundowns. Pirates remain at the top of the table with 38 points from 17 matches, while Sundowns are second with 35 points from 16 outings.
