Mamelodi Sundowns suffered a 2-1 defeat to German third division outfit SV Sandhausen in their first pre-season friendly on Tuesday evening.
The Brazilians are under new guidance for the season after the club surprisingly parted ways with coach Rulani Mokwena, with Manqoba Mngqithi leading the team at the moment.
There was no Ronwen Williams in the squad, although there were starts for youngsters Ntando Nkosi and Malibongwe Khoza while new signing Kobamelo Kodisang started on the bench.
The early stages of the first half proved to be quite a timid affair, with both sides seeing a bit of the ball although clear-cut chances were hard to come by on both ends of the field.
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However, SV Sandhausen got the breakthrough in the 32nd minute when Tim Maciejewski fired home from close range after Sundowns failed to clear their lines from a corner.
The Brazilians made a few changes in the second half, which paid off as they restored parity ten minutes into the second half as a swift counter attack ended with Tashreeq Matthews firing into the top corner.
The German outfit, however, managed to get back on level terms with 20 minutes to play courtesy of a strike from Dominic Baumann.
The South African champions were unable to find a way back in to the contest and begin their pre-season tour with a defeat.
