Mamelodi Sundowns claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Tunisian giants Esperance de Tunis in their first-leg encounter of the CAF Champions League quarterfinals, thanks to Peter Shalulile’s solitary strike at Loftus Stadium on Tuesday.

With the return leg scheduled for 8 April 2025, Miguel Cardoso will return to Tunisia with a favorable result against his former club. Interestingly, the Portuguese mentor is the first Sundowns coach to overcome the Taraji.

In a physical and high-tempo game, it was Sundowns who made their intentions clear from the onset and threatened to draw first blood as midfielder Teboho Mokoena saw the first sight of goal, firing his trademark shot after some good build-up play three minutes from the first whistle.

The home side underwent a slight scare in the eighth minute after attempting to play out from the back, with Esperance pressing high and almost stealing the ball. Moments later, Bafana Bafana winger Elias Mokwana was in the Downs box, keen to open the scoring but was dealt with by Thapelo Morena.

At the opposite end, Aubrey Modiba fizzed in a dangerous ball from a free kick, but the Taraji defense thwarted the danger for a corner kick. Mokoena called the Tunisian goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said into action once again with a free kick in the quarter of an hour mark – a shot the goalkeeper parried away.

Following a lengthy spell with a lack of clear-cut chances, Masandawana playmaker Lucas Ribeiro Costa connected with the ball in stoppage time after a quick one-two with Jayden Adams, but the Brazilian’s low drilled shot went wide as the two sides failed to break the deadlock heading into the break.

Masandwana’s efforts were duly rewarded in the second half as they finally managed to bypass Esperances’ stubborn defense after Ribeiro launched an inviting ball into the box, which Adams headed across goal for Peter Shalulile to tap in from close range in the 53rd minute.

The visitors came close to finding the leveler after Yan Medeiros Sasse’s freekick resulting from a foul on star player Mohamed Youcef Belaili forced a scramble inside the Sundowns box with the Brazilians putting their bodies on the line to prevent danger three minutes after the hour mark.

Following the introduction of Arthur Sales for Thapelo Morena at the start of the second half, Cardoso withdrew Shalulile and Adams for Thapelo Maseko and Bathusi Aubaas with less than 10 minutes remaining in a bid to see out the match with the slender lead intact.

The Chloorkop-based outfit held firm for the remainder of the game, limiting Esperance from creating chances by having a lion’s share of the ball – much to the relief and delight of Cardoso, who was agitated on the touchline until the final whistle.