Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Denis Onyango has invoked Esperance’s upset of Al Ahly as a red alert for the Brazilians ahead of hosting the Tunisian giants in a CAF Champions League tie on Saturday.
Masandawana welcome Esperance in a Champions League semi-final, second leg clash at Loftus Versfeld Stadium. The only mission for Sundowns is to protect the 1-0 lead they claimed from the first leg in Tunisia this past weekend.
It was a historic victory for the Tshwane giants in Rades as they recorded their first win over Esperance away from home. The result was also the Blood and Gold’s first home loss in the Champions League this season.
Now, Sundowns are 90 minutes away from reaching a second successive Champions League final. Just a draw in Tshwane is enough to sail them through to the final, where they will meet either AS FAR or RS Berkane, who are involved in the other semi-final affair.
But Onyango has been quick to warn his teammates about Esperance, who knocked out Al Ahly in the quarter-finals. The Tunisian side pulled a big upset when they edged Al Ahly 3-2 away in Cairo in the second leg of the last eight.
They had won 1-0 at home and went through to the semi-finals on a 4-2 aggregate scoreline after the exploits away in Egypt. That has emerged as a concern for Onyango ahead of Sundowns’ bid to protect their lead on Saturday.
ONYANGO CITES ESPERANCE’S CAIRO EXPLOITS TO WARN SUNDOWNS
“It’s not yet over. It’s like half-time right now,” said Onyango.
“We are in the lead, but we can’t take them for granted because we saw they won away in Egypt against Al Ahly.
“We know they are a fighting team. But we also have the quality to cut them and get more goals. We have good players, quick players and the quality.”
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