Mamelodi Sundowns secured their inaugural win in the CAF Champions League, edging out Moroccan giants Raja Club Athletic 1-0 at Loftus Stadium on Sunday.

The match’s only goal was netted by former Stellenbosch player Iqraam Rayners in the 65th minute, after a brilliant build-up pass from Ronwen Williams to substitute Kutlwano Letlhaku, who played in the Bafana Bafana forward. Rayners skillfully positioned himself at the edge of the box, unleashed a powerful shot that struck the post and rolled into the net.

This victory was the first match for newly appointed coach Miguel Cardoso, who replaced Manqoba Mngqithi the previous Tuesday. The Portuguese tactician made four changes to the side that drew 1-1 with AS FAR last week in Morocco.

Mosa Lebusa, Devine Lunga, Siphelele Mkhulise, and Neo Maema took the places of Mothobi Mvala, Aubrey Modiba, Bathusi Aubaas, and Namibian striker Peter Shalulile. The Brazilians had a slow start, as Raja dominated the early stages and created several scoring chances.

Nonetheless, Cardoso’s squad began to find their groove after the 30-minute mark, coming close to scoring through Lucas Ribeiro Costa, who was stopped by an excellent tackle from Abdellah Khafifi.

The first half ended in a scoreless tie at 0-0. In the second half, Sundowns substituted in young player Lethlaku, who took over from Mkhulise. The home side sprang to life in the opening 10 minutes, with Lunga posing a significant threat on the left flank, although they were unable to take advantage of their opportunities.

The Brazilians continued their solid performance and finally broke the deadlock in the 65th minute. Williams delivered an outstanding pass to Lethlaku, who set up Rayners for the goal, marking the striker’s second goal in as many matches following his earlier score in a 1-1 draw against AS FAR.

In the 70th minute, Raja was awarded a free-kick and thought they had equalized with a goal from Mohamed Boulacsout, only for the assistant referee to signal it offside. Raja had another potential goal disallowed five minutes later for the same reason.

As the match neared its end, play was temporarily halted when a fan rushed onto the pitch towards Williams, but security quickly intervened. Bafana Ba Style solidified their second place in the standings with five points after three matches, tied with FAR but ahead on goal difference.

Sundowns’ next match in the Champions League is scheduled against the same Moroccan team on January 3 next year at Stade Larbi Zaouli in Morocco, marking their return encounter. Ultimately, Sundowns seems to be regaining their form in the group stages, which had previously been a concern.