León Breaks the Ice Early, Then Galaxy Hit Back
Seven minutes in, and Sundowns were already ahead. Junior Zindonga clumsily fouled Tashreeq Matthews in the box, referee pointed to the spot, and Brayan León made no mistake, opening his account for the new season with a comfortable penalty. It looked like the perfect start for a Sundowns side returning to Mbombela Stadium — the same ground where Galaxy had ended their title hopes back in May with a stunning 3-2 win on the final day of last season.
Sundowns dominated the opening 45 minutes territorially, but somehow only had a 1-1 scoreline to show for it by the break. Vava Letsoalo leveled things for Galaxy in the 33rd minute, finishing off an assist from T. Kakora, and the newly rebuilt Rockets — fielding several of Bernard Parker’s fourteen summer signings — matched a heavily fancied Sundowns side stride for stride through the rest of the half.
Letsoalo’s Deflection Puts Galaxy Ahead
The second half started slowly, with Sundowns struggling to fashion anything clear-cut as Galaxy defended in numbers and looked to spring forward on the counter. That patience paid off in spectacular fashion in the 77th minute — Mpho Mvelase whipped in a free-kick, Letsoalo rose to head it goalward, the ball cannoned back off the post, bounced awkwardly off goalkeeper Ronwen Williams’ back, and trickled in for 2-1. Genuinely freakish goal, and it had Mbombela Stadium bouncing with Galaxy suddenly in front against the African champions.
Mkhulise Turns It Around in Stoppage Time
Sundowns refused to fold, though, and their bench made the difference. Miguel Cardoso threw on Cassius Mailula and Sphelele Mkhulise in search of an equaliser, and the substitutions paid off almost immediately. In the 88th minute, Mailula had an effort saved, but Mkhulise reacted quickest to the rebound and buried it to level things at 2-2. Sundowns weren’t finished there either — deep into stoppage time, Mudau delivered a dangerous cutback into the box, found Mkhulise completely unmarked, and the midfielder made no mistake to complete his brace and seal a 3-2 win right at the death.
What It Means Next
It’s a dramatic way to open the new Betway Premiership season for Sundowns, who arrived at Mbombela already carrying 120 minutes in their legs from Saturday’s extra-time MTN8 win over Polokwane City — a physical toll head coach Miguel Cardoso admitted afterward was still weighing on his squad. For Galaxy, it’s a heartbreaking way to lose a game they led for over ten minutes late on, extending a genuine hoodoo record against Sundowns at this venue — three wins in their last four home meetings between the sides — even in defeat. Cardoso pointed to his side’s continued vulnerability from set pieces as something still needing fixing, even with the result going Sundowns’ way in the end.
Match Summary
TS Galaxy 2-3 Mamelodi Sundowns Betway Premiership, Matchday 1 — Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit, South Africa Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Goals: 7′ Brayan León (Mamelodi Sundowns) 0-1 (penalty) 33′ Vava Letsoalo (TS Galaxy) 1-1 (assist: T. Kakora) 77′ Vava Letsoalo (TS Galaxy) 2-1 88′ Sphelele Mkhulise (Mamelodi Sundowns) 2-2 90+3′ Sphelele Mkhulise (Mamelodi Sundowns) 2-3 (assist: K. Mudau)
Result: Mamelodi Sundowns come from behind late on to beat TS Galaxy 3-2 in a dramatic Betway Premiership season opener.
For live PSL scores and match coverage, visit fawanews. Full results and standings at the official Betway Premiership website.
