Win in Tunis puts Sundowns on verge of second Champions League final in a row

Mamelodi Sundowns are on the verge of their second Caf Champions League final in succession after Sunday night’s impressive 1-0 semifinal first leg win against Espérance Tunis to silence a packed Stade Olympique Hammadi Agrebi in Radès in Tunis.

Brayan León, a thorn in Espérance’s defence all night, headed Sundowns’ winner in the 52nd minute.

A blemish was the red card to Grant Kekana for a foot-high challenge on Florian Danho in the 85th in what seemed a harsh decision. But the Brazilians will feel confident of coming home and finishing the job at Loftus Verseld in Saturday’s second leg (3pm).

Sundowns were also less convincing reaching last year’s final. The Yellow Army might have legitimate hopes 2026 is the year, exactly a decade later, they add a second star above the badge to go with the first earned in their 2016 triumph under Pitso Mosimane.

The last time these two teams met in a Champions League semifinal Downs coach Miguel Cardoso, then in charge of the Tunisian club, schemed a 2-0 aggregate victory for Espérance. They went on to lose 1-0 to Al Ahly in the 2023-24 final.

They met again in last season’s quarterfinal, where Cardoso was responsible for his old club’s exit with Downs’ 1-0 aggregate victory on the path to the final, where the Brazilians lost 3-2 against Pyramids.

No doubt to the Espérance fans’ consternation, now Downs seem on the verge of booting Mkachkha (The Smiling One) out again, and Cardoso of his third Champions League final in a row.

The 53-year-old Portuguese might not always see things go entirely his way domestically, certainly in the cups, though that’s been a Sundowns trend too as they battle on grander fronts. He has, though, steered the Brazilians to a strong position for a ninth Betway Premiership title in succession under a concerted challenge from Orlando Pirates, especially after Bucs’ 2-2 draw away to Richards Bay on Friday.

And Cardoso clearly knows his way round a Champions League knockout stage.

He seemed to take a special kind of zeal outwitting his old team again on Sunday.

Sundowns were tight and bright holding their ground in a first half where they understandably had to weather a nervous moment or two at the noisy 60,000-seat ground.

Chances were hard to come by in an opening half-hour that ended with Downs drawing first blood in opportunities. As they surged forward the ball came off the heel of an Espérance defender into the path of Arthur Sales, whose shot was deflected for a corner.

That seemed to stir the hornet’s nest. In the 33rd, monstrous French forward Danho was through onto a bouncing ball on the left and smashed a volley onto the upright.

Then two of Downs’ experienced heads had to further come to their rescue in quick succession.

In the 36th, Grant Kekana’s desperate lunge at the feet of charging Danho was excellently timed. From the corner, centreback Mohamed Tougai‘s header forced a superb reflex stop from Ronwen Williams.

Near the break Teboho Mokoena’s chip played León in on the left to strike high on the run.

Sundowns came out from the change rooms boosted by their promising exchanges of the opening half and within a minute-and-a-half Divine Lunga’s cross found León to get in ahead of his marker and force a stop from goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said.

Then the Brazilians struck to sun the home support. After the ball left the foot from Jayden Adams’ chip to Thapelo Morena on the right, the ball never left the ground. The winger, in flight, knocked the ball on the volley across the face and León provided the deadly headed finish.

Espérance would never lie down on home turf. In the 65th VAR came to their rescue after Williams came and missed a free kick, clattering into own player Sales but also being caught by the arm of Tunis centreback Hamza Jelassi, leading to Aboubacar Diakite heading a finish.

As the clock wound down Kekana, after a tidy game, got his leg up for a challenge to deny another run by Danho and his boot seemed to clip the striker’s head. A yellow card might have sufficed but Algerian referee Mustapha Ghorbal produced a straight red.

Downs desperately cleared form the resultant free kick.

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