Johannesburg – Mpumalanga Black Aces beat a below-par SuperSport United 2-1 at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Strikes from Collins Mbesuma in the 68th minute and Aubrey Ngoma in the 74th minute secured Aces their first win of the season.
Dove Wome pulled one back in the closing minutes of the match, but in the end it was too little, too late as United suffered their third loss of the season.
A red card apiece in the first half for United's Michael Morton and Sandile Zuke of Aces saw the teams play with 10 men for much of the encounter.
In the opening stages Aces failed to capitalise on a mistake from opposition defender Thamsanqa Teyise but his blunder went unpunished.
Aces striker Tendai Ndoro was handed the first early sight on goal in the 12th minute, but with only Ronwen Williams to beat he scuffed his scoring opportunity wide.
The miss was to the relief of United, but it suggested that the team was in for a tough evening as their glaring defensive frailties were exposed minutes into the encounter.
Teyise began the second half with another miscue in his own penalty box, but his quick reflexes allowed him to tidy things up by clearing the ball and conceding a corner.
Aces attacker Kwabena Adusei and Mbesuma were a nuisance for the United defence as they looked ready to pounce on any errors.
United winger Bennett Chenene was the recipient of a splendid cross into the penalty box from Thabo Moloi, but the former's misdirected header curled wide of the post.
Pressure is mounting on United coach Cavin Johnson as the club began the season with the expectation of success after a barren run last season.
United prior to this encounter lost two and won a match to open their Premiership account. – Sapa