Esperance Sportive de Tunis brought the curtain down on their 2025/26 campaign in the best possible fashion, defeating ES Zarzis 1-0 on Sunday evening at the Stade Hammadi Agrebi in Radès to claim the 17th Tunisian Cup title in the club's history.

At the end of a hard-fought and highly competitive final, the Blood and Gold eventually found the breakthrough through a stunning second-half strike from Hamza Rafia before managing their advantage until the final whistle, securing another trophy for the club and its supporters.

The match began nervously for Christian Bracconi's men. After only one minute, a defensive mistake almost proved costly, but a Zarzis forward failed to capitalize on the opportunity. The southern side continued to look dangerous during the opening stages, forcing Esperance to remain cautious.

Gradually, however, the Blood and Gold took control of proceedings. Jack Diarra was particularly lively on the left flank, constantly making runs and trying to create openings, while the ES Zarzis players worked tirelessly to disrupt Esperance's build-up play.

The first genuine chance of the match arrived in the 15th minute. Abdramane Konaté produced an excellent dribble inside the penalty area before seeing his effort blocked at the last moment and diverted for a corner kick.

Despite a high level of physical commitment from both teams and numerous fouls, clear-cut opportunities remained scarce. Esperance enjoyed more possession and territorial dominance but struggled to break down a disciplined and well-organized Zarzis defence.

Seven minutes before halftime, Jack Diarra came close to opening the scoring. His powerful strike from outside the box forced goalkeeper Seifeddine Charfi into an outstanding reflex save. Deep into stoppage time, ES Zarzis responded through Moemen Rahmani, who escaped his marker and attempted an audacious lob, only for Amen Allah Memmiche to produce a crucial save and preserve the deadlock.

The second half started with renewed determination from the Blood and Gold. Florian Danho became increasingly influential, using his physical presence to trouble the opposition defence. In the 53rd minute, he met a Diarra delivery with a strong header, but Charfi once again produced an excellent save on his goal line.

ES Zarzis attempted to respond through a counterattack, but Oluwaseun's effort drifted wide. Moments later, Onuche Ogbelu tried his luck from long range, narrowly missing the target.

Then came the decisive moment of the final.

After Charfi had denied Danho in a one-on-one situation in the 60th minute, the ball was only partially cleared by the Zarzis defence. Hamza Rafia collected possession around thirty metres from goal, controlled brilliantly and unleashed a magnificent strike that gave the goalkeeper absolutely no chance. The ball flew into the back of the net, sending the Radès crowd into celebration.

The ES Zarzis players protested heavily following the goal, leading to several interruptions in play. However, after a VAR review, the goal was confirmed and Esperance maintained their precious advantage.

From that point onward, the Blood and Gold asserted their superiority. Physically stronger and increasingly comfortable in possession, they controlled the tempo of the game and prevented their opponents from creating meaningful opportunities. Although the growing tension affected the flow of the match at times, Esperance's dominance was never seriously threatened.

In stoppage time, Haythem Dhaou nearly doubled the lead after collecting the ball from a corner situation, but his shot went wide. Shortly afterwards, substitute goalkeeper Hamza Ghanmi was shown a red card after handling the ball outside the penalty area to stop Florian Danho's run toward goal.

Moments later, the referee brought the contest to an end, sparking scenes of joy among the Esperance players, staff and supporters.

This victory rewards a squad that had made lifting the Tunisian Cup its primary objective in order to finish the season on a positive note. Mission accomplished for the players, coaching staff and club management, who can now celebrate a successful conclusion to a demanding campaign.

The trophy presentation ceremony followed immediately after the final whistle. In front of thousands of jubilant supporters, captain Yassine Meriah, his teammates, the coaching staff and club officials lifted the Tunisian Cup and celebrated long into the evening, marking the 17th triumph in the competition's history.

Congratulations to our Blood and Gold on this magnificent achievement and on adding another glorious chapter to the history of Esperance Sportive de Tunis.

EST Line-up: Memmiche, Ben Ali, Laïfi, Jelassi, Meriah(c), Rafia, Konaté (Ogbelu 57'), Tka (Jebali 57'), Boualia (Sasse 57'), Diarra (Dhaou 74') and Danho.
Booking: Konaté, Laïfi, Jelassi, Jebali, Ben Ali.