Sundowns shocks Esperance in Rades

South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns returned with an important result from their host Esperance of Tunisia, beating them 1-0 at Hammadi Al-Aqrabi Stadium in Rades, in the first leg of the semi-finals of the African Champions League.

The South African team, seeking its second title in the continental championship after 2016, will have an important precedence before the return match next week in Pretoria, while Esperance, aspiring to its fifth title and first since 2019, will be obligated to score and win if it wants to reach the tenth final in its history.

Caution prevailed over the performance of the two teams at the beginning of the match, with Sundowns having a relative advantage in possession without any real danger, while Esperance relied on counterattacks that almost gave it the upper hand through attempts, the most notable of which was a ball that hit the post following a shot by Frenchman Florian Dano (33).

Sundowns increased their pressure in the second half, and succeeded in translating their advantage into clear superiority with Colombian Brian Leon’s surprise goal, using a perfect pass from Thapelo Morena (51).

Esperance rushed towards the attack to correct the result, especially after the changes of French coach Patrice Baumel, who brought on Malian player Aboubacar Diakite and Burkinabe Jacques Diarra. The team scored a goal through Diakite, which was canceled by the referee after reviewing the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for offside (65).

The last minutes turned into a purely Tunisian siege of the visitors’ area, especially after Sundowns player Grant Kekana was sent off (84), as Esperance intensified its attempts through crosses and shots, but the guests’ solid defensive organization prevented them from achieving an equaliser.