Mamelodi Sundowns took one step closer to their third consecutive CAF Champions League semi-final earlier this week, but will understand that defence will be key if they wish to go further.
On Tuesday, the Brazilians were clinical in their 1-0 victory over Tunisian giants Espérance de Tunis at Loftus Versfeld Stadium. Sundowns will now make the long trip to north to the Tunisia’s capital, carrying a slight but important advatage into the second leg, which is set to be hosted at the Hammadi Agrebi Stadium on Tuesday.
Miguel Cardoso and his charges were solid in defence, with the partnership of Grant Kekana and Lucas Suárez once again proving fruitful, as they ensured their side did not carry the burden of conceding an away goal heading into the second leg.
Kekana was, therefore, pleased with his side’s cleansheet and believes it will keep them in high spirits heading into next week’s fixture.
“It’s a huge confidence booster,” Kekana said, after the win.
“We were able to see what they were about and what they were coming here with. They wanted to be on the transition, but I thought we managed to deal with a lot of it, and hopefully, we can build on this performance ahead of Tunisia.”
Sundowns had to survive a wave of attacks and scuffles as the game neared its conclusion. With similar challenges expected in the return leg, Kekana believes focusing on the game and execution will be vital for his side.
“They started pressing us high, but we knew what to do. We just had to manage the game and make sure we did not concede because we had the lead.
“Our job is to play football. The game has a lot of emotions, but we must not let negative emotions take over.
"There is a lot of experience in the team, and we will remind ourselves that we have to play football. There will be fights here and there, but we must not be distracted.”
Cardoso was coach of Espérance when they last faced the Brazilians in the semi-finals of the 2023/24 season. The Portuguese mentor masterminded the downfall of the 2016 champions with a 2-0 aggregate win, and his insight into his former club might prove invaluable in the second leg.
“We know what to expect; our coach has briefed us, but we have also been in the CAF Champions League for quite a number of years. We know about the hostility, but it is something we will not focus on. We just want to go there and make sure we do our jobs and make our supporters proud.”
Kekana and several of his Sundowns teammates have been constant figures in the Champions League throughout the club’s seven-year dominance of the competition.
After recently playing a key role in helping Hugo Broos’ Bafana Bafana to a five-point lead over Rwanda in Group C of the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers, the central defender believes their experience will be crucial as they attempt to reach their third semi-final in a row.
“It definitely helps. We have gained a lot of experience, and we are open to the challenges we come across. It will be no different this time. They are going to do all they can to destabilise us, but we are strong, committed, and cannot wait for Tuesday.”