Espérance de Tunis beat Swehly SC 1-0 at Radès before winning 3-1 on penalties to book their place in the group stage of the CAF Champions League. It was a hard-fought qualification after a match they largely dominated but which kept the home crowd on edge until the very end.

It was a big-night atmosphere at the Radès Stadium. The supporters had turned up in force, ready to play their part, and the Blood and Gold knew exactly what was required: overturn the one-goal deficit from the first leg in Misrata and secure their place in the next round. From the opening minutes, Espérance made their intentions clear, playing with energy and purpose and looking to take control of the game as early as possible.

Lucas Ribeiro tested the Libyan goalkeeper with a shot on target following a corner in the third minute. Five minutes later, the home crowd finally had something to celebrate. Another corner caused problems in the Swehly penalty area, and the goalkeeper could only punch the ball away. Jesus Castillo headed it back into the danger area, where Imad Faraj met it with the outside of his right foot and fired into the net. Espérance had levelled the tie, and Radès could finally breathe a little easier. It was 1-0!

The Blood and Gold had no intention of sitting back. In the 11th minute, Mohamed Dräger led a quick counter-attack and delivered a cross for Hazem Mastouri, whose effort drifted just wide. Two minutes later, Dräger found the Tunisian striker again with another cross, but Mastouri rushed his attempt and failed to make the most of the opportunity. The spaces were there and the chances were coming, but the finishing was already letting Espérance down.

The first setback came in the 28th minute when Abdramane Konaté picked up an injury after taking a knock and had to leave the pitch. Hamza Rafia came on in his place. His departure seemed to take some of the momentum out of Espérance's play, with the team losing a little of the sharpness they had shown during an impressive opening spell.

Swehly took advantage and began to venture forward more often. In the 39th minute, Lameck Banda tried his luck, but the Espérance defence stepped in to clear the danger. It was the Libyan side's first real opportunity of the evening, although the hosts remained focused on finding the goal that would put them ahead on aggregate.

Just before half-time, Lucas Ribeiro produced a tremendous individual effort inside the penalty area before setting up Mastouri perfectly. The striker found himself in front of an almost open goal, with a huge chance to score, but somehow failed to convert. It was another painful miss. At the break, Espérance were deservedly leading 1-0, but they could easily have gone into the dressing room with a much healthier advantage.

There were still 45 minutes to find that second goal and avoid a penalty shootout, which was certainly not the outcome the Espérance camp would have wanted.

Espérance came out after the break determined to finish the job. In the 55th minute, Ribeiro showed his skill inside the Libyan penalty area before seeing his shot deflected behind for a corner. Two minutes later, Imad Faraj unleashed a powerful effort, but the Swehly goalkeeper was equal to it.

The Blood and Gold continued to press, although they struggled to reproduce the pace and sharpness of their opening spell. Perhaps fatigue was beginning to take its toll. Whatever the reason, their attacking moves were no longer quite as incisive, particularly when it came to the final ball and finishing.

In the 68th minute, Faraj made a clever run into the box, but his shot was blocked. Espérance followed that up with a spell of sustained pressure, winning the ball back high up the pitch and creating further openings. The second goal seemed to be just around the corner, yet it continued to elude them.

With 12 minutes of normal time remaining, Faraj tried again with a powerful strike that flew narrowly over the bar. Meanwhile, the Libyans were dropping deeper and deeper, seemingly focused above all on protecting the scoreline and taking the tie to penalties.

Espérance maintained their dominance right to the end, but even after four minutes of added time, the score remained unchanged. The final whistle confirmed a 1-0 victory on the night. With the two sides level on aggregate, the tie would have to be settled from the penalty spot.

Now came the test of nerve. In a penalty shootout, where the pressure can get to anyone, Béchir Ben Saïd proved decisive. The Espérance goalkeeper saved two of Swehly's attempts, giving his teammates the advantage they needed to finish the job. The Blood and Gold eventually won the shootout 3-1, and the celebrations could finally begin.

The qualification was secured, although it had taken patience, persistence and more than a few anxious moments. Espérance had created enough chances to avoid such a tense finish, but the most important thing was that the job was done. Espérance de Tunis will be in the CAF Champions League group stage.

The evening also belonged to the crowd at Radès, who turned out in force and backed their team from the first whistle to the last. Through the frustrating spells and the tension of the penalty shootout, the supporters never stopped pushing their team towards the finish line.

Congratulations to our Blood and Gold heroes on a hard-earned qualification, and a huge thank you to our supporters for making it such a memorable night!

EST Lineup: Ben Saïd, Dräger (Alilet 88'), Elaifi, Jelassi(c), Chikhaoui, Castillo (Hadj-Ali 75'), Konaté (Rafia 28'), Belhadj-Mahmoud, Ribeiro, Faraj (Monyebe 88') and Mastouri (Danho 75').
Booked: Rafia, Elaifi, Jelassi, Belhadj-Mahmoud.