Mamelodi Sundowns have booked the semifinal spot in the CAF Champions League following the 0-0 (1-0 on aggregate) against Esperance Sportive de Tunis on Tuesday night at Stade Olympique Hammadi Agrebi.
The match promised to be an exciting one and it delivered. From the moment the kick-off whistle was blown, both sides showed a sense of urgency, looking to open the floodgates very early in the game. A big chance inside two minutes came from the home side but luckily, captain Ronwen Williams managed to smack the dangerous ball away.
End-to-end football was being played but eventually, Downs snatched possession and played the game at their own tempo but were just struggling to get it right in front of goals. While on the other end of the half, Divine Lunga stood his ground and was denying the Esperance attacking squad to even sniff the danger area.
Another big opportunity in front of the goal threatened the Downs’s defense but luckily, after a cross made by Esperance, Khuliso Mudau came to the rescue and made an excellent touch to clear the ball away.
In the last few minutes of the opening half, the visitors threatened the Esperance defense. Lucas Ribeiro’s counterattack efforts saw him winning the ball but his shot went slightly wide. Marcelo Allende from range, also looked to be the one to break the deadlock but his effort rattled the crossbar. The two sides went to the break goalless.
The hosts kicked off the second stanza with real intent as they created a big scoring opportunity but Williams read the danger on time and swept the ball away. Masandawana was quick with the retaliation through Ribeiro’s quick feet that went past the Esperance rearguard. He fired a shot but was cushioned by the goalkeeper.
In the final stages of regulation time in the second half, Shalulile came close to opening the floodgates with a beautiful pass from Iqraam Rayners but the shot fired was smacked away by the goalkeeper.
Nine minutes was added to play and Bafana Ba Style held on to the 1-0 aggregate in what was a physically demanding encounter. They will now shift their focus back to the Nedbank Cup for the semifinal which is to take place on Sunday night against Kaizer Chiefs.
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