The Brazilians secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory in the first leg of the final thanks to a superb 36th-minute free-kick from Aubrey Modiba, although the defender is now a doubt for the return leg.

Sundowns came close to doubling their advantage late in the second half when Tebogo Mokoena’s thunderous free-kick crashed against the woodwork.

While the Brazilians will take a valuable 1-0 aggregate lead to North Africa, the job is far from finished, with Morocco traditionally one of the toughest places on the continent for visiting teams.

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Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso warned that the tie is only at half-time and insisted his side still has plenty of work to do in Rabat.

“We showed that we can compete at this level against the best teams in the competition,” said Cardoso, who is leading a team in the CAF Champions League final for the third time.

”I think we played a wonderful game and created enough chances to score a second goal that would have made the result more comfortable.

“It was a tough match played right on the limit. We knew how AS FAR would try to pressure us, and it was important for us to control certain aspects of the game. In the second half, I think we played beautiful football and fought hard for another goal.”

Cardoso, who is also under pressure domestically with Sundowns on the brink of surrendering the Premier Soccer League title for the first time in nine seasons, said he was especially pleased with the commitment shown by his weary squad.

“What pleased me most was seeing Sundowns perform at the highest level,” he added. “As a coach, it is beautiful to see the level this team is capable of reaching when we play with confidence and intensity.”

Mamelodi Sundowns. Photo: Masandawana

“We know the second leg will be very difficult and that we will probably need to score away from home. We may also lose Aubrey because of the physical demands and effort the players have been subjected to over the last month.

“The players who stand up in moments like these are the most important ones. I am confident we will find a way to approach the next match and once again be a very competitive team.”

The second leg of the CAF Champions League final will be played at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on Sunday, with kick-off scheduled for 21:00.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek dg