Mamelodi Sundowns closer to Caf Champions League's second star as Miguel Cardoso's masterclass eliminates Esperance de Tunis

Mamelodi Sundowns forced a goalless draw with Esperance on Tuesday night at the Hammadi-Agrebi Olympic Stadium in Rades, securing a spot in the semi-finals of the Caf Champions League for the third consecutive season.

Having won the first leg by a solitary goal, the South African outfit just did enough to secure a 1-0 aggregate win, sending the Beasts of Africa home.

The hosts started the game on a high, pushing forward with every opportunity they got, but good goalkeeping from the ever-reliable Ronwen Williams kept them i

Marcelo Allende had a chance on the other end but saw his effort come off the crossbar as the first half ended goalless.

It looked like either team would get a goal after the pause, owing to the intensity witnessed, but the composure in the final third, coupled with good defending, kept the attackers at bay.

In the 63rd minute, the home team thought they had scored when Achref Jabri converted a long ball by Raed Bouchniba, but the celebrations were cut short by the VAR review that showed the former was offside.

Eventually, Masandawana held on to advance to the last four, where they will play the defending champions Al Ahly.

All Sundowns players fought hard to ensure they got something from the match.

However, it could have been different if Williams had allowed the early strike by Youcef Belaili to get past him.

He went on to put up a decent performance to inspire his team to get the result they needed.

Maher Kanzari had promised to turn tables around in Tunisia.

However, he was frustrated by his counterpart, Miguel Cardoso, who was tactically better.

The immediate next assignment for Masandawana will be on Sunday when they host Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup semi-final at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

It is a massive game for them since Amakhosi will be aiming at avenging the three losses suffered already this season against the Brazilians across all competitions.

The Soweto giants see the Nedbank Cup as their only chance of ending their decade-long trophy drought.

They will now start preparations for the Caf Champions League semi-final tie against Al Ahly.