The return leg is in Pretoria on Saturday as Sundowns chase a second successive final in the competition following their loss to Pyramids FC in the previous campaign.
Brayan Leon’s goal separated the two sides in the first leg, but Esperance had their chances and Sundowns lost experienced defender Grant Kekana to a red card.
“The match was what I expected,” former Esperance coach Cardoso said. “The possession was not exactly what we wanted, so I think we were not, in certain moments, able to establish the play.
“I think we had to give an answer in terms of tactical approach, and after we lost Grant, obviously the game became trickier and the intention was to close it out in the latter stages and keep the result.”
Cardoso is hoping to reach a third Champions League final in a row, having lost the last two with Esperance (against Al Ahly) and Sundowns. He has warned his players that the Tunisians will come out fighting at the weekend.
“If you don’t play to win, you can suffer, and that is the only way that this team knows how to play,” he said. “The team understood the different moments of the game.
“This is the semi-final of the Champions League, it is not to give a concert, it is to take results and produce good games, and that is what both teams wanted.
“That is exactly how it is going to be in Pretoria. The team that deals better will for sure be the team that, in the end, takes the next step.”
