Esperance Sportive de Tunis head coach Patrice Beaumelle says the scoreline of the CAF Champions League semi-final first leg doesn’t reflect the match, and remains confident his side can get the job done in Pretoria.
Sundowns walked away with a crucial 1-0 win at the Olympique Hammadi Agrebi Stadium, thanks to a goal by Brayan Leon.
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The Betway Premiership champions collected a historic win in Rades, the first of any South African side at the Tunisian giants, but Beaumelle stated his team deserved more.
“I am very disappointed, not just by the defeat, but especially because the scoreline doesn’t reflect the match,” he said as per Pan-Africa Football.
“We were more aggressive, more committed, and we managed to create several clear chances.”
‘We Will Secure Qualification In Pretoria’
Beaumelle, though, remained defiant and insisted the tie is far from over, after his side also beat record champions Al Ahly 3-2 away from home to progress to the semi-finals.
“Nothing is decided at this stage: no team has qualified or been eliminated. The decision will be made in the second leg, where we absolutely must be more efficient and more clinical,” he added.
“Unlike our match in Cairo, where we showed two different sides, our performance was consistent and generally good throughout the game.
“We even scored a goal that was disallowed, and I regret that the review took so long, as it disrupted our momentum at a crucial moment.
“I remain fully confident in my players’ ability to react and secure qualification in Pretoria.”
Sundowns welcome Esperance at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday at 15:00 for the second leg, where the club could secure back-to-back CAFCL finals, while coach Miguel Cardoso could even book his third successive final after also featuring in the 2023/24 final with Esperance.
The Portuguese coach, though, is yet to win Africa’s elite club competition.
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