By Mark Ogagan
Mamelodi Sundowns are through to the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League after they drew their second-leg quarter-final clash 0-0 away to Esperance in the city of Rades on Tuesday evening, thus booking their ticket on a 1-0 aggregate.
The Brazilians had won last week’s first leg tie 1-0 in Pretoria.
It was a challenging encounter in Tunisia, but Sundowns coped well with the vocal home support. Numerous fans shone green lasers at the Sundowns’ players throughout the match.
Miguel Cardoso’s charges had their moments in the first half, with Lucas Ribeiro firing just wide of the left-hand upright after cutting inside from the right and Marcelo Allende rattling the crossbar with a ferocious long-range effort near half-time.
In the second half, Esperance attacked with vigour, looking for a goal that would level the tie.
The Brazilians breathed a sigh of relief in the 63rd minute when Achref Jabri collected a long ball and scored with an expertly placed lob over the advancing Ronwen Williams.
While the referee signalled a goal, a long VAR check ensued, eventually ruling the goal out with Jabri slightly offside when the ball was played.
Sundowns, however, stood firm for the rest of the half and will now play Egyptian stalwarts Al-Ahly in the semi-finals.
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