Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has admitted that his knowledge of the atmosphere in Tunisia helped him prepare his players emotionally against ES Tunis.
Sundowns held last season’s finalists to a goalless draw in the CAF Champions League quarter-final second leg match however dumped them out the competition with a 1-0 aggregate score-line.
The first leg saw the tensions of the game spill onto the stands with Tunis fans having to be escorted out of Loftus Stadium after some violent scenes.
Cardoso said he spoke to his players to focus on what really mattered and he was proud of their display.
“They were on a very high level they focused on what they had to do,” said the coach.
“They concentrated themselves on the professional side, on the game on the football questions. They blocked out everything that was around. I saw a positive beautiful ambience that we usually have here.
“For me it’s a privilege to have an ambience like we have here because of people that love football. This ambiance is completely different from the one we have in South Africa.
“You know sometimes the culture itself is different and I think the players enjoyed playing against a very strong team.”
Masandawana will take on defending champions Al Ahly for a place in the final.
