Swallows FC held Mamelodi Sundowns to a 0-0 draw in a Dstv Premiership encounter played on Sunday afternoon at Dobsonville Stadium, Soweto.
It was a huge point earned by Swallows in their bid to steer clear of the relegation zone.
The Birds followed in the footsteps of Cape Town City, who achieved the same result against the Brazilians on Tuesday night.
Before their goalless draw against City, Sundowns had scored a goal in each of their previous league fixtures.
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The last time Downs failed to score was on 10 August 2022, when they were beaten 1-0 by TS Galaxy.
It is not only in the Dstv Premiership where Mamelodi Sundowns have been ruthless in front of goal, they have been going about the business of scoring goals in the Caf Champions League as well, including seven over two legs against Al Ahly SC.
That is why both Cape Town City and Swallows should be proud of stopping Downs from finding the back of the net.
Against Swallows, Sundowns, as was to be expected, enjoyed the lions' share of ball possession, 79% to be precise.
They also managed 23 attempts on goal, yet the Birds were able to keep Sundowns to three shots on target.
Now, it might be argued that both these goalless draws came after Downs had already been crowned league champions, and psychologically might have taken their foot off the pedal a little bit.
As true as that might be in a way, it must not be allowed to take away from the good work done by the Swallows and City.
Keeping a team like Sundowns at bay, whether they are at their best to not, takes a lot of planning, tactical discipline, and mental application from both the coaches and players. It is no small feat.
What Swallows, and Cape Town City have done, is to show what is possible against Sundowns. That, after all, they're not invincible.
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