CAFCL: Mamelodi Sundowns take narrow lead to Tunis after first leg victory over Espérance

Photo Credit: Mamelodi Sundowns FC

Mamelodi Sundowns hold a narrow edge over Tunisia's Espérance de Tunis after Tuesday's 1-0 CAF Champions League quarterfinal first leg victory at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa.

Namibian striker Peter Shalulile's goal early in the second half was the difference between the two sides. An excellent early cross from Brazilian playmaker Lucas Ribeiro found Jayden Adams at the far post who nodded back for Shalulile to volley past Espérance goalkeeper Bechir Ben Saïd in the 54th minute.

For long stretches of the match, visitors Espérance successfully made things difficult for Sundowns who dominated possession by a wide margin. However, despite dominance of the ball, the hosts were limited to only a couple of speculative efforts from distance by Teboho Mokoena in an uneventful first half.

The Espérance defense was well organized but finally the moment arrived for Sundowns thanks to a moment of brilliant direct play from star attacker Ribeiro. Collecting the ball on the right wing, Ribeiro surprised the Espérance defense by playing a perfect early ball to find the run of Adams who set up Shalulile for the match winner.

Espérance attempted to push for an equalizer for the remainder of the second half but created little as the match continued to be a tactical battle. In the end, the visitors were content to keep their deficit at one goal and hope to overtake Sundowns a week later when the teams meet for the second leg in Tunis.