Esperance de Tunis were held to a 1-1 draw this afternoon against US Ben Guerdane in a match counting for the 24th day of Ligue 1. Dominating throughout the encounter, the Blood and Gold came up against a well-organized defensive block and were punished for a lack of attention in the first half. Belaïli's late equalizer on a penalty was not enough to snatch the victory.

From the outset, Esperance showed their offensive intentions. In the 6th minute, Yan Sasse attempted a spectacular overhead kick from a Mohamed Ben Ali cross, narrowly missing the target. The crowd believed in the opening goal in the 12th minute, when an irregular tackle on Belaïli in the box could have been worth a penalty. Neither the referee nor the VAR signaled a foul, provoking the anger of the supporters.

Against all odds, it was USBG who opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Taking advantage of a misalignment of the Esperantist defense, Iyed Belwafi concluded a quick counter-attack and gave the visitors the advantage (0-1). A tough blow for Laurențiu Reghecampf's men, who then saw a goal disallowed for Sasse for offside (25th).

Despite overwhelming domination, the chances followed one another without success. Neither Sasse, nor Belaïli, nor Tka managed to deceive the vigilance of the opposing goalkeeper. The clearest opportunity came in the 43rd minute, when Ben Hamida served Sasse and Tka alone in front of the goal, but the unavoidable was missed... a glaring lack of success.

Reghecampf reacted at halftime by making four changes at once: Bouzaïène, Guennichi, Mokwana and Diakité came into play to inject new life. USBG then opted for an ultra-defensive strategy, regrouping their players behind.

The attempts poured in: Tka in the 51st, Diakité in the 53rd, a powerful shot again from Tka in the 75th, not forgetting the attempts of Mokwana and Belaïli (79th). But between clumsiness and the determination of goalkeeper Farhati, the Blood and Gold could not find the fault.

The effort finally paid off in the 84th minute. The referee, after consulting the VAR, signaled a penalty in favor of Esperance after a foul in the box, accompanied by the exclusion of Taoues on the USBG side. Belaïli converted the sentence (89th), offering his team a deserved equalizer.

Despite the final minutes under high tension, Esperance could not force the victory. This draw (1-1) leaves a bitter taste, as the opportunities were numerous. USBG, on the other hand, got away with an unexpected point thanks to their defensive discipline.

EST lineup: Memmiche, Ben Ali (Bouzaïène 46'), Ben Hamida(c), Smiri (Hamrouni 90'), Jelassi, Ogbelu (Guennichi 46'), Tka, Konaté, Sasse (Mokwana 46'), Jebali (Diakité 46') and Belaïli.
Booked: Belaïli, Guennichi, Diakité.