Mission accomplished for Espérance de Tunis. On Saturday night at the Radès Stadium, the Blood and Gold claimed a convincing 4-1 victory over AS Forces Armées of Niger, confirming their dominance after the 3-0 win in Niamey. With a 7-1 aggregate score, Maher Kanzari’s men booked their spot in the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League.
Right from the start, Espérance showed intent with early chances for Sasse, Tougaï and Jabri. The breakthrough came in the 20th minute: Ogbelu slipped a clever pass to Boualia, who laid it off instantly to Belaïli. The Algerian forward unleashed a powerful, precise strike that left goalkeeper Mahamadou Tanja with no chance (1-0).
ASFAN managed to pull level against the run of play in the 36th minute, when Elvis Bernard Addae pounced on a poorly cleared ball to fire past goalkeeper Memmiche (1-1). The equaliser didn’t last long though. Three minutes later, Keita broke down the right flank and delivered a cross. Jabri dummied, leaving Sasse perfectly placed to flick the ball home with composure (2-1). Espérance went into the break ahead, though the scoreline hardly reflected their dominance.
The second half followed the same script, with Espérance firmly in control. Konaté’s shot rattled the crossbar in the 56th minute, while Diakité narrowly missed with two headers (59’, 60’). Boualia also came close, denied only by a miraculous stop from Tanja (64’). Persistence was rewarded moments later: Belaïli sent in a pinpoint cross for Keita, who controlled with his chest before finishing brilliantly with the outside of his foot (3-1).
The hosts continued to press and created several more chances, while appeals for two clear penalties (71’, 87’) were waved away. Deep into stoppage time, Konaté was brought down in the box and the referee finally pointed to the spot. Meriah stepped up and converted confidently (90’+4, 4-1).
With seven goals over two legs, Espérance march into the next round in style. Their next opponent will be either Rahimo FC of Burkina Faso or AS Mangasport of Gabon, with the verdict expected today.
EST Lineup: Memmiche, Keita, Elaifi (Bouchniba 64'), Meriah(c), Tougaï (Jelassi 46'), Ogbelu, Sasse (Taboubi 73'), Konaté, Boualia (Maâcha 65'), Belaïli and Jabri (Diakité 46').