Brayan Leon Impresses As Mamelodi Sundowns Overtake Orlando Pirates After Beating Orbit College

Mamelodi Sundowns have overtaken Orlando Pirates on the Betway Premiership standings after beating Orbit College in their first match in the second half of the 2025-26 season.

The defending champions secured all three points after a 2-0 win over Monnapule Saleng's former team at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Monday, January 19, 2026.

Goals from Arthur Sales and new signing Brayan Leon gave the Brazilians the deserved win over the newly promoted side in front of their fans.

Sundowns defeat Orbit College

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso handed Lebo Mothiba a place in the starting lineup as the lead striker, with Kegan Johannes, Sphelele Mkhulise, Jayden Adams and Kutlwano Letlhaku also featuring from the start.

In addition, 19-year-old Thato Sibiya made his senior debut start after catching the eye with his performances for Amajita.

The Brazilians were dominant with the ball early on and created several early chances, with Adams rattling the frame of the goal with a volley, while Mothiba was thwarted at close range by an alert near-post stop from goalkeeper Mwenya Chibwe within the first 15 minutes.

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Following a brief interruption caused by floodlight issues, Sundowns eventually turned their territorial control into a breakthrough. Arthur Sales capitalised on a defensive misunderstanding inside the Orbit penalty area, producing an athletic finish in the 24th minute to register his third league goal of the campaign.

Orbit threatened Sundowns' goal unexpectedly when Lucky Malatsi capitalised on a loose ball inside the penalty area, but the forward attempted an acrobatic overhead kick similar to Sales’ effort and sent the ball well over Ronwen Williams’ bar.

That moment turned out to be Orbit’s sole genuine threat on Masandawana's goal, with the defending champions dictating proceedings throughout the opening half, while the youthful Sibiya stood out on the left wing, impressing with his speed and composure in possession.

Cardoso altered his approach at the beginning of the second half, handing new recruit Brayan León his debut by bringing him on in place of Mothiba after his recent transfer from Independiente Medellín.

Source: Briefly News