Sundowns progress to CAF Champions League final

By Razeen Gutta

Mamelodi Sundowns booked a second straight CAF Champions League final appearance after a 1-0 win over Esperance de Tunis at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, completing a 2-0 aggregate victory.

The Brazilians, who lost last year’s final to Pyramids FC, took control of the semi-final second leg through Brayan Leon’s first-half strike.

Masandawana started cautiously but grew into the game, with Leon forcing a save from Bechir Ben Said in the 20th minute after a Tashreeq Matthews assist.

The breakthrough came after 30 minutes when Ben Said collided with the high-pressing Leon while clearing a throw-in, conceding a penalty.

The keeper saved Leon’s spot-kick but the striker reacted fastest to tap in the rebound, making it 1-0 on the day and 2-0 overall.

Esperance nearly replied before the break when Yan Sasse’s cross deflected off Florian Danho and hit the crossbar.

In the second half, Sundowns dominated possession and stayed dangerous, with Ben Said denying Marcelo Allende and Jayden Adams in quick succession. Sundowns’ defence kept Esperance quiet, with Ronwen Williams untroubled.

Post-match, coach Miguel Cardoso called his side’s progression one of the biggest nights of his career.

“I will never forget that the journey we started and now is exactly the moment to speak about the players, the people that go inside the pitch and make the things happen. A very big thank you,” Cardoso said.

“I cannot finish this thank you without speaking about our fans, of course. The energy that we feel at home is very important. And it’s really important that we keep that energy following us now in the league.”

Pictured above: Mamelodi Sundowns

Source:@SundownsFC