Orlando Pirates walk the plank as Mamelodi Sundowns finally show their teeth

Statements of intent don’t come as big as the one Mamelodi Sundowns made here last night. While he had said prior to the match that this was in no way going to be a title decider, Ronwen Williams knew just how massive the three points the Brazilians took from Orlando Pirates were.

The goalkeeper and skipper of the defending champions celebrated with gusto at the final whistle, confident, no doubt, that they’d taken the wind out of the Buccaneers’ sails with a 2-1 victory that whittles Pirates' lead down to just three points. With Sundowns having a game in hand, the championship race has just gotten spicier.

The Brazilians’ championship experience is going to come to the fore in the remainder of the season, and you could tell from their celebrations that they believe they have what it takes. They’ve done this for the previous seven seasons, after all, and the onus is on the rest of the Betway Premiership clubs to dethrone them.

Prior to last night, Pirates had looked good for it, the Buccaneers leading the championship race having played brilliant football by beating all comers. But now the big question is just how Abdeslam Ouaddou and his men are going to react after suffering their first league defeat in 15 matches. Their job is made all the more harder by the fact that they have to do it in the country’s biggest match of them all: the Soweto Derby against arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs.

Of course, the temptation will be to reason that Chiefs have been pretty poor lately and Pirates should easily dispose of them. History, however, dictates that nothing can be taken for granted.

In any case, there’d been a general feeling that Pirates would reign here against Sundowns. And it certainly looked as though they would as they started the more sprightly of the two sides. But they met an immovable object in Williams, who pulled off a splendid karate-style kick to keep out a Deon Hotto attempt early on in the match.

When he pulled off a second save to deny Yanela Mbuthuma from point-blank range—though it has to be said the Pirates striker could have and should have done better—the skipper imbued his hitherto somewhat lethargic teammates with immense energy and self-belief.

Colombian attacker Brayan León helped himself to yet another brace after he’d sent Sundowns into the CAF Champions League quarter-finals with a double last weekend.

Sure, Pirates staged a mini-comeback early in the second half when Patrick Maswanganyi slotted home via a Teboho Mokoena deflection. But such is Sundowns’ experience and quality that even with the massive crowd spurring the home side on and Pirates throwing everything bar the proverbial kitchen sink at them, the visitors remained composed.

Williams crowned his stellar evening by bravely picking up the ball off Relebohile Mofokeng 20 minutes from the end as Sundowns frustrated Pirates' efforts en route to taking home the crucial three points he’d spoken about.

It is, of course, way too early in the championship race to say where the title is going to end up. Yet – even though Pirates are still top of the table by three points – the psychological advantage is with Sundowns. This victory was earned courtesy of León’s predatory instincts, Williams’ prolific shot-stopping, and overall Sundowns’ big-match temperament as they handled what was supposedly a tough assignment with the consummate ease of a champion side.

Often ridiculed for having just 57 fans, Sundowns were pushed to success by their passionate drum-beating fans, with Williams often cajoling them to keep playing before he danced along with them late in the match during time added on for stoppages.

He duly rushed towards them at the final whistle, delighted that they got the "important three points" to send a message not only to Pirates but to the rest of the league that they are intent on holding on to their title yet again.