Shalulile gives Sundowns crucial win over Esperance

Mamelodi Sundowns took a huge step towards reaching the semifinals of the CAF Champions League following a 1-0 win over Esperance at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday afternoon. 

Peter Shalulile scored the only goal of the match in the first leg of the quarter-final clash against  the Tunisian champions. 

It was a typical knockout tie between two heavyweights of African football with the opening few minutes proving to be a cagey affair.

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Esperance were content to sit back and let Sundowns have possession, while restricting them to long-range efforts.

Teboho Mokoena stung the palms of Ben Said 15 minutes into the game with a free kick from outside the box, but the Esperance goalkeeper was equal to the task.

The South African champions were also guilty of being too predictable with their slow build-ups, which didn’t yield much in the first half.

The match remained goalless at the break, following a lukewarm opening 45 minutes in front of a near-capacity crowd in Tshwane. The visitors parked the bus, hoping to catch Sundowns on the break, with Youcef Belaïli the only player given licence to remain on the halfway line.

The tempo of the game needed to change in the second half if Sundowns were to get something from the match. Shalulile was isolated upfront, despite Masandawana having more than 80 percent of ball possession. 

In an effort to turn things around, Masandawana coach Miguel Cardoso brought in Divine Lunga and Arthur Sales for Aubrey Modiba and Thapelo Morena at the start of the second half.

Shalulile put Sundowns in front nine minutes after the restart, thanks to a clever assist from Jayden Adams. Lucas Ribeiro’s long ball into the box found Adams, who cushioned his header towards Shalulile to slot home from close range.

Cardoso will be happy with the fact that his charges managed to keep a clean sheet at home. For Esperance, they will be disappointed with their failure to register an away goal which could have been valuable when the two teams play each on the return leg at Stade Olympique Hammadi Agrebi in Tunis next week Tuesday.

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Although the two-legged tie is far from being decided, the final whistle sparked wild celebrations from the home fans. They will be encouraged by the victory against the team which knocked them out of Africa’s club competition at the same venue last season