“It’s Only Half-Time” – Cardoso Stays Grounded After Sundowns’ Historic Night In Tunisia

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso is refusing to let his side get carried away by the euphoria of defeating ES Tunis (Espérance) in the first leg of their CAF Champions League semi-final.

Despite the historic result, Cardoso has called for even greater commitment in the return leg, reminding his players that the tie is only at the “half-way mark.”

Sundowns took a significant step towards the final with a 1-0 victory, courtesy of a second-half strike from Colombian forward Brayan León.

It marked the first time Sundowns had defeated the Tunisian giants on home soil in the Champions League, having failed to win in their previous five visits to North Africa.

However, they will be without experienced defender Grant Kekana for the second leg after he was sent off in the 84th minute for a dangerous tackle.

They will, though, be boosted by the return of left-back Aubrey Modiba, who missed the match after his red card in the quarter-final against Stade Malien.

When asked about potential changes for the second leg, Cardoso remained non-committal, noting that there was still time to prepare before the clash at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday.

“Regarding the line-up for the second leg — who is in and who is out — let’s go back to Pretoria, Johannesburg, let’s make the trip and see how we are going to approach the game,” he said.

“What we know is that it is half-time, and that shows how important the second match is.”

Espérance started brightly in front of their home supporters, creating the better chances early on.

Defender Mohamed Tougaï forced an early save from goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, while Florian Danho came close to opening the scoring when his effort struck the post in the 32nd minute.

Despite enjoying spells of pressure and earning several set-pieces, the Tunisian side were unable to break through, with Sundowns remaining compact and disciplined defensively.

Espérance thought they had equalised in the 65th minute when substitute Aboubacar Diakité found the back of the net, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR review for a foul on the goalkeeper.

“The game was what I expected, despite it being played at the highest level from us in terms of possession and our ability to find spaces,” Cardoso added.

“It was not really a mission accomplished.

“At half-time, although our first half was better than the second, there were moments when we were not well-positioned to impose our style of play. We made corrections at half-time, and I think the goal gave us an emotional lift to step up.

“What we expected from a team like Espérance is exactly what we got — strong support from the crowd, which was amazing, giving them energy and pushing the team forward.

“There were many substitutions as they pushed numbers forward. I think we maintained our tactical approach, but after we lost Grant, it became more difficult. Our intention was to close out the game, manage the final stages, and protect the result.

“We don’t take anything for granted. Our attitude in Pretoria must be even more committed, more tactical, more disciplined, and with greater control of the match.

“We will play to win because, if we don’t, we will suffer — and that is the only way this team knows how to play.”