CAF CL: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Esperance tie done? Cardoso explains vital point

A 10-man Mamelodi Sundowns defied the odds on Sunday night to beat their hosts Esperance by a solitary goal in the first leg of the CAF Champions League outing staged in Tunis.

Thapelo Morena teed-up Brayan Leon for the lone strike in teh 51st minute that put the Brazilians firmly in the driving seat ahead of the second leg that will be played at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday where any kind of draw will be enough to see them make the final.

Esperance have been a tough team for Masandawana in recent campaigns, but a positive result away gave the club’s faithful massive hope of, finally, celebrating the second star after a decade.

Coach Miguel Cardoso has now explained what he is anticipating in the second meeting at home, and how they can get a ticket to play either AS FAR Rabat or RS Berkane in the final.

How Mamelodi Sundowns vs Esperance will be decided

“Regarding the approach for the second leg, any team that has a history and a way of playing and identity has to be always as loyal as possible to what the team is. It happens the same with Esperance, it happens the same with Sundowns and the other two semi-finalists in the game they played, Berkane and AS FAR,” the tactician opened up to the media.

“So, the team will always fight to win owes itself to the other ones. But the games on this level have different moments. As expected, there were different moments in the game [in Tunisia].

“That is exactly how it will be in Pretoria. The team that deals better with the different moments is for sure the team that in the end will take[the win] and proceed to the next stage,” Cardoso concluded.

At home, the Brazilians are close to winning their ninth Premier Soccer League title in a row despite stiff competition from Orlando Pirates. They are on 56 points from 23 games, one more than Bucs, who have played a game more.