Espérance de Tunis responded in the best possible way on Thursday afternoon with a deserved 1-0 victory over US Ben Guerdane at the 7 March Stadium in the final Ligue 1 fixture of the season. A valuable win that allows the Blood and Gold to finish runners-up in the league standings and officially secure qualification for next season’s CAF Champions League.
Following the painful disappointment of losing the title in the derby just a few days earlier, Christian Bracconi’s men were under pressure to react positively. Despite the narrow final scoreline, Espérance clearly dominated large portions of the match and fully deserved the three points.
The Blood and Gold started the game with attacking intentions. In the 7th minute, a beautiful collective move ended with Ben Ali firing just wide of Raed Gazzeh’s goal.
Boualia quickly emerged as one of the main threats for the visitors throughout the first half. In the 10th minute, his curling effort narrowly missed the target before he broke into the box again two minutes later, only to blast over from a promising position.
US Ben Guerdane struggled to contain Espérance’s pressing and attacking pressure. In the 20th minute, Konaté nearly opened the scoring with a header that sailed just over the bar following a perfectly delivered cross.
The goal was clearly coming. Boualia struck the post in the 27th minute after another dangerous attacking sequence, further illustrating Espérance’s growing dominance.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 38th minute. Cleverly set up by Boualia, Hamza Rafia calmly slotted the ball home with a composed finish to give the Blood and Gold a fully deserved lead.
Espérance thought they had doubled their advantage just before halftime. Deep into stoppage time, Konaté released Diarra, who delivered a perfect assist for Danho to score what appeared to be a legitimate second goal. However, much to everyone’s surprise, VAR ruled it out for an imaginary foul earlier in the move, leaving the Espérance bench furious and puzzled.
Despite that controversial decision, the Blood and Gold went into the break leading 1-0 after a first half in which they had largely controlled proceedings.
US Ben Guerdane attempted to respond early in the second half. In the 47th minute, Ayoub Mcharek forced Memmiche into a difficult save with a long-range effort. But Espérance quickly regained control of the game afterward.
The home defense had to remain alert against continuous pressure, first blocking a dangerous strike from Tka in the 53rd minute before goalkeeper Gazzeh produced two important saves against Konaté and Boualia in the 62nd minute.
Espérance’s main weakness throughout the second half was their lack of efficiency in front of goal. Chances continued to come, but rushed decisions and poor finishing prevented the visitors from putting the game beyond doubt.
The tempo slightly dropped during the closing stages, especially after the exit of Hamza Rafia, who had been everywhere offensively and played a major role in the team’s attacking fluidity.
Late in the match, Diarra had another golden opportunity to seal the victory, but Gazzeh won the one-on-one duel in the 90th minute before making another crucial intervention against Jabri in stoppage time.
At the final whistle, however, satisfaction remained the dominant feeling. The scoreline may have been narrow considering the overall balance of play, but the essential objective was achieved.
Espérance end the Ligue 1 season in second place and officially book their spot in next season’s CAF Champions League. Attention now turns to the Tunisian Cup, with a trip to Métlaoui scheduled for Sunday in the Round of 16 as the Blood and Gold look to finish the season with silverware.
EST Lineup: Memmiche, Ben Ali (Keita 77'), Ben Hamida, Jelassi, Meriah(c), Tka, Konaté, Rafia (Jebali 77'), Boualia, Diarra and Danho (Jabri 69').
Booking: Jebali.