Bathusi Aubaas & Khuliso Mudau sent off as nine-man Mamelodi Sundowns suffer first defeat under Miguel Cardoso at Raja Casablanca in dramatic Caf Champions League clash

Nine-man Mamelodi Sundowns suffered their first loss in Group B of the Caf Champions League outing after falling by a solitary goal against 10-man Raja Casablanca on Saturday night at Larbi Zaouli Stadium.

In the 39th minute, Masandawana were reduced to 10 men after Bathusi Aubaas' red card for a dangerous challenge on Younes Najjari.

Raja capitalised on the situation in the second minute of added time to get a first-half lead. A cross from the left by Youssef Belammari caught Downs defenders napping, and the unmarked Benaissa Benamar had an easy time beating Ronwen Williams from three yards out.

With 10 minutes to go, Marouane Zila was sent off after two bookable offenses, but it was not enough to help the defending Premier Soccer League champions get something from the game.

As a matter of fact, it got worse for Miguel Cardoso's side as Khuliso Mudau was shown a straight red for an off-the-ball incident against an opponent.

The result mean Sundowns are second on the table with five points, three less than leaders AS FAR Rabat who beat Maniema Union 2-0 in another game of the pool that was played simultaneously.

Raja's first win in the Group put them third with four points, with the Congolese outfit at the bottom with three.

Sundowns could have conceded more were it not for the exploits of Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams.

He pulled off fantastic saves to keep his team in the game, but the equalizer wasn't coming.

The 32-year-old did not deserve to be on the losing side.

Having played for Bafana Bafana and Masandawana in high-profile games, Aubaas could have done better with his challenge.

It was a reckless and unwarranted foul that ended up costing his team in a hostile venue.

From the way Sundowns were playing with a man less, it could have been different with all Sundowns players on the pitch.

Masandawana hope to claim maximum points when they play AS Maniema Union in their next Group B outing scheduled for Saturday, December 11.

The Congolese outfit lost 2-0 against leaders AS FAR Rabat, and as a result, they are at the bottom of the table with three points.

Raja and AS FAR meet in the next game which might see Sundowns go top with a win only if the former defeat the current leaders.