Mamelodi Sundowns suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Raja Casablanca in their CAF Champions League Group B match at Stade Larbi Zaouli on Saturday.

The setback in Morocco means Sundowns remain second in the group with five points from four matches. FAR Rabat leads the group with nine points after defeating AS Maniema Union.

Sundowns’ failure to secure a victory in Morocco highlights Kaizer Chiefs’ unique achievement in South African football history. Chiefs remain the only South African club to have conquered North African opposition in the Champions League, defeating Wydad Casablanca 1-0 in the first leg of the 2021 semi-finals through Samir Nurkovic.

Facing Raja, Sundowns was facing a Raja side that had changed a coach after beating them 1-0 in the match day number three of the group.  

When Sundowns beat Raja in Pretoria last month, they were coached by Silva Sa Pinto, and the coach has since been sacked by the Moroccan giants and replaced by Hafid Abdessadek.  

Sundowns nearly conceded early on, twice being caught out of position while attempting to play out from the back. Teboho Mokoena was fortunate to escape a penalty for a reckless challenge while attempting to regain possession.

In the 19th minute, Iqraam Rayners believed he had given Sundowns the lead. Lucas Ribeiro Costa played a defense-splitting pass, and Rayners finished with aplomb, but the linesman’s flag was raised for offside.

The match took a significant turn in the 40th minute when Bathusi Aubaas was shown a straight red card for a late challenge on Youness Najari. The tackle was deemed reckless, and Aubaas accepted the referee’s decision.

Raja capitalized on their numerical advantage. Sundowns’ offside trap failed to function effectively, allowing Benaissa Benamar to remain unmarked. The defender calmly slotted the ball past Ronwen Williams just before halftime, giving Raja a crucial lead.

This marked the first goal conceded by Sundowns in five matches under coach Miguel Cardoso.

Facing a daunting task in the second half, Sundowns struggled to create meaningful attacking opportunities while playing with ten men.

Ronwen Williams produced a brilliant save to deny Raja’s Nawfel Zerhouni in the 69th minute, preventing the hosts from extending their lead. However, the numerical disadvantage proved a significant hurdle for Sundowns to overcome.

The match became even more evenly contested in the 80th minute when Raja’s Marouane Zila was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Aubrey Modiba.

With 10 minutes remaining, Sundowns pushed forward in search of an equalizer, but their efforts were ultimately thwarted. In a dramatic turn of events, Khuliso Mudau was sent off in the final minute, compounding Sundowns’ misery.

Raja held on to secure a crucial victory, moving them into third place in the group with four points from four matches.