Tunisian Curse Broken! 10-Man Sundowns Silence Radès As Leon Stuns Esperance
Mamelodi Sundowns defeated ES Esperance 1-0 in their CAF Champions League semi-final first leg on Saturday. Despite Grant Kekana’s 84th-minute red card, a Brayan Leon goal secured Sundowns’ first-ever away victory against the Tunisian giants in Radès.
Algerian referee Mustapha Ghorbal issued a red card to Grant Kekana in the 84th minute for a dangerous tackle, at a time when Sundowns were already under heavy pressure.
The win marked Sundowns’ first-ever victory over Esperance in Tunisia, achieved through a resilient and disciplined performance, despite a largely uneventful first half.
Sundowns went into the match having never beaten Esperance away, with the Tunisian side’s most recent home win against them coming in 2024 — a 1-0 victory under current Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso. On that occasion, Rulani Mokwena was in charge of the South African side.
Coming into this encounter, the two teams had met 10 times, with Sundowns winning only twice, while Esperance had four victories and the remaining four matches ending in goalless draws.
Chances were few and far between in the opening stages, despite frequent turnovers in midfield. In the 29th minute, Sundowns came close to taking the lead when Arthur Sales saw his goal-bound effort blocked by desperate defending.
Moments later, the woodwork came to Sundowns’ rescue when French forward Florian Danho struck the post. Kekana also produced a crucial defensive intervention to deny the same player as pressure mounted on the visitors.
Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams was called into action on several occasions, making important saves to keep the score level as Sundowns endured a difficult first half.
In attack, Sundowns struggled to create clear openings. Brayan León had a rare opportunity after Teboho Mokoena initiated a move from midfield, but his effort went wide. León found it difficult to make an impact, as he was well-contained and received limited service.
Sundowns showed improvement after the break and nearly scored when León’s diving header from a cross by Divine Lunga was pushed away for a corner by Esperance goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said.
The breakthrough came in the 51st minute. Khuliso Mudau delivered a precise pass to Thapelo Morena, who sent a first-time cross across goal for León to head home from close range.
The goal highlighted Sundowns’ growth this season, despite the departure of key player Lucas Ribeiro Costa, who played a pivotal role in their run to last season’s final.
Buoyed by the goal, Sundowns briefly took control, unsettling the hosts. Esperance thought they had equalised through Aboubacar Diakité, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review showed that Hamza Jelassi had fouled Williams in the build-up.
The match became increasingly scrappy, with frequent fouls disrupting the flow of play.
Kekana’s late red card added further pressure, but Sundowns held on to secure an important away victory and take a one-goal advantage into the second leg.
The return leg will be played at Loftus Versfeld next Saturday, where Cardoso will need to reshuffle his defence following Kekana’s suspension. However, Sundowns will be boosted by the return of left-back Aubrey Modiba from suspension.
