Mamelodi Sundowns have booked their place in the final of the 2023/2024 CAF Champions League, but they were made to work for it. The South African champions secured a 1-0 victory over Tunisia’s Esperance de Tunis at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Friday, April 26, 2024, advancing 2-0 on aggregate after their first-leg win in Rades.
The decisive moment came in the 58th minute. A swift counter-attack saw the ball played to Peter Shalulie, who calmly slotted home to send the home crowd into raptures. The goal effectively ended the tie, giving Esperance a mountain too high to climb in the remaining half-hour.
Esperance, needing at least two goals to force extra time, pushed forward but found Sundowns’ defense, marshaled by Ronwen Williams, in resilient form. The Tunisian giants’ best chance fell to Rodrigo Rodrigues, but his effort was expertly saved by the Sundowns goalkeeper, preserving the clean sheet and the aggregate advantage.
With this result, Mamelodi Sundowns advance to their first CAF Champions League final since 2016. They now await the winner of the other semi-final between Morocco’s Wydad Athletic Club and RS Berkane. Wydad holds a slender 1-0 lead from the first leg, with the return fixture set for Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Casablanca.
The two-legged final is scheduled for May 18 and May 25, 2024. Sundowns will be aiming to lift the trophy for the second time in their history, having previously triumphed in 2016.
