Esperance coach frustrated in a warm up for Sundowns

Esperance coach frustrated in a warm up for Sundowns

Esperance Sportive De Tunis coach Miguel Cardoso has reacted to his team’s frustrating one-all draw with US Monastir on Sunday. Tunisia’s Ligue 1 game was a warm up for this Saturday’s Caf Champions League clash against Mamelodi Sundowns. The Tunisians will host the semifinal, first-leg encounter. The reverse match is scheduled for Pretoria on April 26, 2024.

Why Esperance needed to impress at home

Esperance needed to impress ahead of the big assignment against Sundowns. And all seemed well when the visitors scored first through Rodrigues in the 37th minute. However, Salem Bizid of Monastir canceled out the slender lead with a 97th-minute strike at Stade Mustapha Ben Jannet. The equaliser frustrated Cardoso.

What Esperance coach said ahead of Sundowns match

Cardoso’s team still leads the standings, six points ahead of the second-placed Monastir in the D4 stream of the Tunisia Ligue 1 Play-offs. However, the coach was not amused with how his wards failed to kill off the away match. “It is our first draw in the league,” the Portuguese mentor told his club’s website. “Of course, it is, obviously, not what we wanted. We missed our start to the match, but then we reacted and took the lead. Unfortunately, we were punished with a goal in the last minute due to a marking error. That’s football. You have to respect the adversary to the end.”

Cardoso has since warned Esperance to up their game ahead of the duel against the DStv Premiership heavyweights. He specifically called for improvements in marking. “We will correct our mistakes as part of our preparation for this match. The technical staff is already hard at work and we will be ready on the D-day,” he told Esperance website.

Where will the match take place?

The semifinal match will take place at Rades Stadium on Saturday at 8:00pm North Africa time. Broadcasters such as beINSports channel 6 will beam the game.

Who will officiate Esperance v Sundowns match?

Youthful referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan will take charge of the match. The 30-year-old made history after becoming the first whistle-man from Somalia to officiate at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. Liban Abdoulrazac Ahmed from Djibouti is the first assistant referee for the game. The reserve referee for the match will be Bamlak Tessema Weyesa. Video assistant referee team comprises Rivet Maria Pakuita Cinquela and Lahlou Benbraham.

How the Tunisians booked their semifinal place

The Tunisians booked their semifinal slot after seeing off Asec Mimosa 4-2 on post-match penalties the previous week in Ivory Coast. On the other hand, the South Africans sneaked past Young Africans (Yanga SC) of Tanzania also via penalties. On Monday, Sundowns warmed up for the Champions League game with a two-all draw against Moroka Swallows.