In a game of two halves, the Brazilians outplayed the Soweto Giants and went two-nil up in the first stanza through an 18th minute Leonardo Castro goal and man of the match Khama Billiat hitting his mark in the 35th minute.

Midfielder, Mpho Makola, pulled one back for the Buccaneers in the 71st minute, absolutely thundering in a direct free-kick from 35 yards out.

However, it was not enough to stop the in-form side from the capital city.

The win sees Downs claiming a league double over the Seas Robbers following a two-nil win in December last year.

Sundowns coach, Pitso Mosimane, says it’s huge to beat Pirates twice in a season.

“A game of two halves, but it’s normal and we expected that.”

“You can’t come to Orlando Stadium and think you will walk in the park. They had to respond, I told them, one goal will bring them back and that’s all they needed but we absorbed the pressure.

“We had to put the defensive midfielder Bangaly and put him between Wayne and Thabo because Gabuza at that stage he gets dangerous with the crosses from the right that come into the box.

“But I think it was done in the first half, we could have scored three, one more in the first half. If Leo had scored that one it could have been a brilliant goal, and Keagan went one-on-one with the keeper and he rushed.

In last night’s other game the entertaining Black Aces came from two goals down to draw two-all with Ajax Cape Town in the Mother City.

Morgan Piek/OFM News