Mamelodi Sundowns registered a hard fought 1-0 win over Esperance in the first leg of the CAF Champions League quarterfinals.
Playing in front of a decent crowd at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, it took an early second half goal for Sundowns to win the match.
Peter Shalulile netted the all-important goal to ensure that Sundowns put one foot in the semifinals of the CAF Champions League.
This was indeed a very difficult encounter given history between the two sides in the CAF Champions League.
In fact, Esperance are the same team that knocked Sundowns out of the same competition last season.
Current Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso was in the opposite direction at the time, and perhaps his knowledge of the team helped him plan against Esperance.
looking back at the head-to-head stats between the two sides, Sundowns had never beaten Esperance.
In the previous four meetings prior to this one, Esperance had registered three wins over Sundowns while the other match ended in a draw.
This means Tuesday’s win was somehow historic for the Tshwane giants, especially in front of their home fans.
All that is left now is for Sundowns to finish off the job in Tunis next week and seal their passage to the semifinals.
Should Sundowns advance to the semifinals, they will then face either Al Ahly or Al-Hilal.
STARTING XI: MAMELODI SUNDOWNS VS ESPERANCE
Sundowns XI: Wiliams, Mudau, Modiba, Kekana, Suarez, Mokoena, Allende, Adams, Shalulile, Matthews, Ribeiro.
Esperance XI: Ben Said, Tougai, Bouchniba, Konate, Ben Hamida, Jelassi, Yan Sasse, Mokwana, Belaili, Guenichi, Ogbelu.
A CHANCE FOR THE BRAZILIANS TO REACH THE SEMIS?
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