Esperance head coach Miguel Cardoso says he has great respect for Mamelodi Sundowns despite knocking them out of the CAF Champions League.
ES Tunis booked their spot in the CAF Champions League final at the expense of Sundowns after a 1-0 win in the semi-final second-leg gave them a 2-0 aggregate win.
Cardoso says he has much respect for the Brazilians and their head coach Rulani Mokwena.
"Very happy, important moment. In Europe I had already won Europa League final, Youth League final, now Champions League final in Africa, amazing but this is for my players, they did a wonderful job," Cardoso said on SABC Sport.
"Big respect for Sundowns, for their quality, for their coach, players but a big respect for us, for the job, for the effort, for our organization. We believed and hoped that we would reach the final.
"So it's a victory also for my family. Many years far away from me and for my beloved at home, big love for them," he said.
Esperance 20-year-old goalkeeper Amanallah Memmich played a crucial role in the win with big saves but Cardoso instead congratulated the team effort.
"I think the team is the Man of the Match but when you have a good team, you highlight the players. We did a wonderful job, Memmich did a wonderful job. The belief is the reason why we're here. Because the impossible is just what was never attempted," he went on.
"And we challenged ourselves to win here. We knew it would be difficult but we knew we would have our chances. Amazing game, this is sport, let's go," he added.
Esperance will face Al Ahly in the final.
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