Teboho Mokoena of Mamelodi Sundowns challenged by Ibrahima Keita of Esperance Tunis during the CAF Champions League 2025/26 1st leg match at Stade Olympique de Rades in Rades, Tunisia on the 12 April 2026.
Image: Mehrez Toujani/BackpagePix
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso may be admonished by the fans for not playing in the traditional "Bafana ba Style" fashion in the local Betway Premiership, but the Portuguese tactician has certainly brought an element of steel to the Brazilians in the CAF Champions League.
Sundowns, who are renowned for their flair and open play, have often come up short in the continental competition at critical stages since their last and only triumph exactly a decade ago under former coach Pitso Mosimane.
But Cardoso, who has vast CAF Champions League experience, including beating Sundowns with Esperance in the semi-finals previously, has brought greater structure to the team from the nation’s capital.
It was particularly evident during Sundowns’ crucial 1-0 first-leg semi-final victory over Cardoso’s former team, Esperance, in Tunis on Sunday.
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso (centre) with his support staff during the CAF Champions League first-leg semi-final in Tunis.
Image: BackpagePix
It was particularly telling after Sundowns were reduced to 10 men after central defender Grant Kekhana was red-carded in the dying stages, leaving the visitors to defend their slender lead for a further six minutes of regulation time and another extra pressure-filled 10 minutes of injury time.
Sundowns’ new-found resolve certainly did not go unnoticed with Cardoso asked at the post-match briefing by the local media if his team are “more pragmatic and realistic” and “have more defensive stability”.
“Any team that has a history, way of playing and an identity has to always be as loyal as possible to what the team is. It’s the same with Espérance, the same with Sundowns, and with the other two teams in the semifinals,” Cardoso replied.
“The teams will always fight to impose themselves on the opponents. But the games at this level have different moments. And, as expected, there were different moments in the game and that’s exactly how it will be in Pretoria.
“The team that deals better with the different [critical] moments is the team that will proceed to the next round.”
Sundowns and Esperance go head-to-head in the second leg semi-final at Loftus Versveld in Pretoria on Saturday.