Golden Arrows pulled off a stunning 2-0 upset victory over Orlando Pirates at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium on Tuesday, with Pule Mmodi doing all of the damage.
The Buccaneers were unable to follow up their recent 2-1 victory over Kaizer Chiefs in the Soweto derby, as Arrows collected all three points to leapfrog Pirates in the DSTV Premiership table and move up to fourth.
Mmodi picked up his first of the evening just before half-time, and after Thembinkosi Lorch spurned a golden opportunity to equalise from the penalty spot after the break, he made the Bucs pay by bagging his brace not long after.
Rain started falling moments before kick-off, and there was early excitement when Arrows striker Knox Mutizwa forced a peach of a save from Pirates goalkeeper Richard Ofori, who had to dive to his left to keep the Zimbabwean's strike out.
Mutizwa was proving a handful as he had delivered a great through ball for Michael Gumede moments earlier, though the midfielder was caught just offside.
Pirates were looking to spread the ball wide and attack from both sides of the pitch but the Arrows defence looked up to the task. Fortune Makaringe found himself with a rare half-chance inside the opposition box but his quickly-taken shot rebounded off one of his own players.
There was plenty of niggle in the game, and after one too many cynical fouls, the referee finally lost his patience and booked Pirates defenders Paseka Mako and Ntsikelelo Nyauza in quick succession. By the end of the first half, five yellow cards had been handed out - three to Pirates and two to Arrows.
Having created as least as many half-chances as their opponents, it did not come as a huge shock when Arrows opened the scoring shortly before the break. It was a quick attacking throw that left the Pirates defence exposed, with Mmodi finding himself in a one-on-one situation with Ofori before coolly finishing in the back of the net.
Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer rung the changes at half-time in a bid to change his side's fortunes, bringing on Ben Motshwari for Ntsikelelo Nyauza and Gabadinho Mhango for Azola Tshobeni.
Arrows coach Mandla Ncikazi followed suit 10 minutes later, with Siyabonga Dube and Brandon Parusnath making way for Danny Phiri and Lindokuhle Mtshali.
Moments after the substitutions, disaster struck for the home side when the referee ruled that Thabani Zuke handled in the area, but they were let off the hook when Lorch's shot from the spot sailed over.
Pirates would pay dearly for that missed opportunity when Mmodi found himself in again shortly after. Zuke went from hero to villain in the space of a few minutes as he produced a fine pass to find the forward, who tucked it away in the bottom corner to make it 2-0.
With 15 minutes to try and get back in the game, the Bucs dominated possession but weren't able to do much with it, as Arrows held on for a well-deserved and surprisingly comfortable win.