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Espérance de Tunis suffered an unexpected setback this afternoon at the Stade du 15 Octobre, falling 2-1 to CA Bizertin in a match filled with intensity and emotion. This defeat, their second of the season, leaves a bitter taste for the Blood and Gold, who had opportunities to turn the game around.
A frustrating first half
From the kickoff, the physical engagement was at its peak. Both teams showed a fierce determination to impose their game, but without creating clear-cut chances in the first twenty minutes.
Espérance's first major opportunity came in the 23rd minute, but Jabri and Sasse, poorly inspired, failed to convert. Two minutes later, a twist of fate struck the Espérance defense: a routine ball slipped through goalkeeper Memmiche's hands and into the net. A comical goal that gave CA Bizertin the lead (1-0).
Stung by this error, Memmiche immediately redeemed himself with a spectacular save from Diop's powerful shot (26'). Hanzouli, his Bizertin counterpart, also made his mark by stopping Guennichi's shot in two phases (33').
The Bizertin players, solid in defense, dropped deep and opted for a low block, relying on counter-attacks. Jabri tried to restore parity but missed his lob over Hanzouli (37'). At the half-time whistle, Espérance trailed by a goal due to a costly error.
A thrilling second half
Immediately after the restart, Ogbelu fired the first warning shot, but his effort went over the bar (48').
The equalizer arrived in the 49th minute from a superb move initiated by Ogbelu. The ball cleared by the Bizertin defense fell to Jebali, who unleashed a powerful left-footed strike: 1-1!
The reinvigorated Blood and Gold increased their pressure, troubling the CAB defense. In the 64th minute, the referee awarded Espérance a penalty after a VAR review for a foul on Mokwana. Tougaï took the spot-kick, but goalkeeper Hanzouli made a magnificent save to maintain the score.
The chances continued to rain down: Mokwana narrowly missed the target (69'), before Hanzouli made another decisive intervention against him (73'). Misfortune struck again when Konaté, who had been impressive since coming on, was injured and had to be replaced by Azouni (82').
The end of the match turned into a nightmare for Espérance. Smiri was sent off in the 87th minute for a foul on an opposing forward. In added time, VAR signaled a shirt pull by Guennichi in the box, resulting in a penalty for CAB and a red card for the Espérance defender (90'+10). Abdou Seydi calmly converted the penalty in the 90'+13th minute, giving Bizertin an unexpected 2-1 victory.
A defeat to forget quickly
Without their maestro Youcef Belaïli, Espérance endured a nightmarish afternoon: a comical goal conceded, a missed penalty, two red cards, and a cruel defeat. Despite dominating the match and creating numerous opportunities, the Blood and Gold lacked clinical finishing against an opportunistic and resolute opponent.
Now is the time for regrouping. This setback must serve as a lesson to bounce back strongly in the next match and make up for this underperformance. Reghecampf's men have no time to dwell on it: the league continues, and they must react quickly to avoid dropping more points.
EST Lineup: Memmiche, Bouchniba, Ben Hamida(c), Smiri, Tougaï, Guennichi, Jebali, Ogbelu (Konaté 67' then Azouni 82'), Sasse (Diakité 67'), Mokwana, and Jabri (Maâcha 67').
Yellow Card: Sasse.
Red Cards: Smiri 87', Guennichi 90'+10.