Staff Reporter.
Mamelodi Sundowns secured a hard fought 1-0 win over Esperance in the first leg of the CAF Champions League quarterfinals at Loftus Versveld Stadium in Tshwane.
Sundowns who won the 2023 African Football League – finished second in CAF Champions League Group B this season behind AS FAR, but ahead of Raja Casablanca and Maniema Union. Espérance won Group D, finishing above Pyramids, Sagrada Esperança and Djoliba.
The first half was a cagey affair, with neither side able to create any clear scoring chances. Sundowns had a couple of long-range efforts which either didn’t trouble Esperance goalkeeper Bechir Ben Sair, or were easy for him to handle.
At the other end, the visitors had a couple of promising moments when their press caught the hosts dawdling on the ball, but they weren’t able to truly prise open Sundowns’ defence and test out Ronwen Williams.
Sundowns made a more determined start to the second half and were rewarded with a goal in the 54th minute. Lucas Ribeiro’s reverse diagonal cross into the box was headed into the danger area by Jayden Adams, and Peter Shalulile stabbed home just inside the near post at close range for 1-0.
The remainder of the game often devolved into scrappy passages of play, interspersed with incidents of aggression between the teams – a scenario which suited Sundowns, as they were able to deny Esperance any attacking rhythm and control the game up to the final whistle.
CAF still uses the away goals rule even though it has been scrapped by UEFA, so a goal on the road could be very useful for Espérance ahead of the second leg in Tunisia on April 8.