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Espérance de Tunis were left with deep frustration after being held to a goalless draw against CS Sfaxien this afternoon at the Radès stadium, in a rescheduled Matchday 27 clash. Dominant from start to finish, the Blood and Gold failed to turn their superiority into goals in a match that could - and should - have been won.
The tone was set from the very first minute. Esperance earned an early corner, and Jelassi appeared to be brought down inside the box, but the referee waved play on despite strong appeals. Moments later, Danho found the net (10’), only to see his goal ruled out for an offside position by Hamidhi in the build-up.
The first half quickly turned into a one-sided affair. Esperance controlled possession, dictated the tempo, and created a string of chances. Danho, particularly lively, saw a powerful effort deflected for a corner (22’) before winning a clear penalty at the half-hour mark. However, Tougaï’s spot-kick crashed against the crossbar (33’), summing up a frustrating afternoon in front of goal.
The missed chances kept piling up. Boualia, perfectly set up by Ben Hamida, sent his shot well over from an ideal position (35’). Against the run of play, CS Sfaxien nearly stole the lead, but Memmiche produced a superb save in a one-on-one situation against Rayan Derbali (39’).
The closing stages of the first half highlighted Esperance’s inefficiency. Danho missed a clear chance (42’), Jelassi and Danho both failed to hit the target with headers (45’+2, 45’+3), before CS Sfaxien thought they had pulled off a shock lead through Emmanuel Ogbolé in stoppage time - only for VAR to rule it out for offside (45’+7).
The second half followed a similar script. Danho was again brought down in the box (49’), but once more, no penalty was awarded. Seconds later, he rounded the goalkeeper but delayed his finish too long and was dispossessed (50’), a moment that perfectly captured Esperance’s lack of decisiveness.
Despite continued pressure - with attempts from Hamidhi (56’), Boualia (59’), and another missed opportunity by Hamidhi from a Sasse assist (72’) - the Blood and Gold lacked composure in the final third. Danho remained at the heart of the action, testing the goalkeeper (82’) and seeing further efforts blocked or off target (85’, 86’).
Even in stoppage time, luck refused to turn. Tougaï failed to capitalize on a handling error by goalkeeper Dahmane (90’+4), as the match ended in a frustrating 0-0 draw.
While the overall performance - especially in the first half - was largely positive, Esperance’s lack of clinical finishing and moments of haste ultimately cost them two valuable points. At this crucial stage of the season, such missed opportunities could prove decisive.
Esperance did everything right… except score.
EST Lineup: Memmiche, Ben Ali (Bouzaïène 87'), Ben Hamida(c), Jelassi, Tougaï, Ogbelu, Jebali (Hadj-Ali 79'), Rafia (Tka 87'), Boualia (Sasse 68'), Hamidhi (Dhaou 79') and Danho.
Booking: Hadj-Ali.
