David GOMBE
Mamelodi Sundowns edged Tunisia side Espérance Tunis 1-0 to earn a slender advantage following the quarter-final first leg on Tuesday.
Peter Shalulile’s second half goal separated the two sides at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.
The Namibian striker gave the Brazilians the lead in the 54th minute of the game after being fed by Jayden Adams.
It was a perfect revenge for Sundowns who were eliminated by Espérance in the same competition last season.
Espérance beat Sundowns 2-0 on aggregate – 1-0 both at home and away – in last season’s semi-finals.
Current Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso was in the opposite direction at the time.
Before today’s victory, Sundowns had never beaten the Tunisian side with the previous four meetings prior to this one, Esperance had registered three wins over Sundowns while the other match ended in a draw.
The two sides will never face off on Wednesday next week in Tunis to determine the team that progresses to the semis.
