Mamelodi Sundowns have once again been eliminated in the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League following a 1-0 defeat to Esperance Sportive de Tunis at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Friday night.
Last season, Mothobi Mvala’s own goal saw Sundowns exit the Champions League in the semis on the away goals rule after a 2-2 draw with Wydad Casablanca.
This campaign, the Rulani Mokwena-coached side bow out of the tournament following a 2-0 defeat on aggregate by ES Tunis.
Raed Bouchniba’s goal in the 57th minute of the game caused an upset for Masandawana fans in the second-leg. In the first-leg, Sundowns also suffered a 1-0 loss against ES Tunis away from home.
Below are the talking points from this encounter between Masandawana and the Tunisian outfit.
MATCH TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED
The match between Sundowns and ES Tunis was temporarily suspended in the 22nd minute of the showdown.
This was due to inclement weather, which forced the referee to stop the game and signal for both teams to head to the changing room. The lightning around the stadium made it impossible for the players to be on the field of play
However, after the improved weather conditions and thorough inspections of pitch conditions, the showpiece was allowed to resume from the 22nd minute.
PLAYERS RULED OUT FOR MAMELODI SUNDOWNS
Bafana Ba Style came into this game with four players ruled out of this clash due to injuries.
The four are Rushine De Reuck [knee injury, stage 3 rehabilitation], Teboho Mokoena [hamstring injury, stage 2 rehabilitation], Abdelmounaim Boutouil [groin injury, stage 2 rehabilitation], and Siyanda Nyanga [knee Injury, Post operation, Stage 3 Rehab].
THAPELO MASEKO INJURED DURING THE GAME
Thapelo Maseko was forced to be replaced in the 30th minute of the match due an injury. The Bafana Bafana international was replaced by Thapelo Morena.
The team doctor noted that Maseke’s injury was not a recurring injury, but he hurt his ankle.
SUNDOWNS FAILED TO SCORE IN LAST FOUR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MATCHES
Sundowns haven’t scored in the last four Champions League encounters. They played against Yanga and ES Tunis.
They drew 0-0 with Yanga home and away and suffered 1-0 defeats to ES Tunis.
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS QUALIFIED FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP 2025
Both Masandawana and ES Tunis have qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 after Egypt’s Al Ahly progressed to the Champions League final by eliminating TP Mazembe.
This is because Al Ahly have already qualified as African champions in both 2021 and 2023.
Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca also joins the above-mentioned teams for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
ATMOSPHERE AT LOFTUS VERSFELD STADIUM
Despite the bad weather conditions at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, the Yellow Nation came out in numbers to fill up the stadium in support of their club.
However, the sky was not the limit for the Brazilians tonight as they couldn’t beat ES Tunis on a rain-soaked Friday night at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium to advance to the finals of the Champions League.
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