Mamelodi Sundowns Coach Rulani Mokwena Disagrees With Tunisian Media, Critiques Esperance Tactics

• Mamelodi Sundowns lost 1-0 to Esperance in the CAF Champions League semi-final first leg
• Head coach Rulani Mokwena disagreed with Tunisian journalists over the host team's tactics
• The Tunisian side face the Brazilians in the second leg in the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on April 26

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach, Rulani Mokwena, has contested Tunisian journalists' views on Esperance's tactics during the first leg of the CAF Champions League semi-final.

Sundowns lost 1-0 to the four-time African champions in Tunis on Saturday evening, April 20.

During the post-match press conference, Mokwena disagreed when questioned by a journalist about being tactically outplayed.

"In football, there are two critical factors during the 90 minutes. First, how many chances can you create? Who created the most chances between us [Sundowns] and Esperance? Mamelodi, yes. Thank you. Then, who defended better, the one who gave more chances or the one who gave fewer chances? Did Mamelodi concede more chances to Esperance, or did Esperance..." Mokwena stated, as quoted by iDiski Times.

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The Tunisian side attacked the South African outfit from start to finish to claim a crucial first-leg win. Sundowns played on the counter and came close to finding the back of the net in the 18th minute when goalkeeper Amanallah Memmich parried Ribeiro Costa's shot.

The hosts eventually took the lead in the 41st minute as Yann Sasse found the back of the net to send the home crowd wild. The 26-year-old striker tucked home from a rebound after Ronwen Williams had saved the initial chip, Snl24 reports.

The Tunisian side managed to escape with a narrow win ahead of the second leg slated for the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Friday, April 26.

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The North Africans aim to reach their ninth final, a feat they achieved in 2019 when they successfully defended their title.

But they face robust opposition in Masandawana as the South African side has only conceded one goal so far.