Mamelodi Sundowns set to clash with Esperance in CAF Champions League semi final

The South African powerhouse progressed to this stage by narrowly avoiding elimination against Stade Malien during the second leg of their quarter final encounter on Sunday night.

Sundowns headed to Bamako with a strong 3-0 lead from the initial leg against the Malian opponents, yet they fell 2-0 in that match but still advanced 3-2 in the overall score.

Stade Malien ignited their attempt to reverse the tie by scoring early through Taddeus Nkengs close range header, after VAR overturned the first offside call.

Nkeng seemed to have made it two goals shortly afterwards, but VAR disallowed it because he was in an offside spot.

Just prior to the interval, the home team extended their lead when Haman Mandjan pounced quickest on a rebound amid chaos inside the penalty box.

Even with an intense offensive effort after the break, the West African side could not find the vital third goal to equalise, wasting numerous chances to score.

This outcome means Sundowns have now advanced to the last four for the fourth straight time, a record that highlights their steady presence among Africas leading clubs.

Meanwhile, Esperance delivered a strong display in Cairo to knock out Al Ahly from the competition via a 3-2 triumph on enemy territory.

Spurred on by their daunting home supporters, the Egyptian hosts opened the scoring in the 10th minute as Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet took advantage of an error in the away sides backline.

Despite Al Ahlys control of the match, it was the Tunisian outfit that prevailed decisively in the latter period by adding three goals to claim the exciting five goal contest and move forward 4-2 on aggregate.

In order to secure a place in the final, Esperance will need to overcome the South African contenders, who are chasing a second continental championship. Sundowns previous victory arrived in 2016, when they defeated Zamalek 3-1 across both legs.

The other semi final clash will feature two Moroccan teams, AS FAR and RS Berkane, vying for the remaining final berth. These semi finals are planned for April, as the decider is due in May 2026.