A historic night in Tunisian football as the country's most decorated club side Esperance of Tunis bows out of this year's CAF Champions League competition with a narrow 1-0 loss at home to visiting ES Setif on Saturday night.
After holding down the Algerian side to a goal less draw in the first leg of the quarter finals a week ago in Algeria, Esperance could bet their work was cut short hosting their visitors at their own backyard. Little did they know the Algerians had other plans.
The first real chance of the game came from the visitors as a great right flank cross was poorly met by an Algerian attacker in the Esperance danger zone. If not of poor finishing the visitors could have been ahead with just the first attempt of the night.
A few minutes later the signs were now clearly on the wall. Esperance defender fumbles with the ball and is pickpocket twenty one minutes on. Riad Benayad crafted a killer pass that breaks through the Tunisian backline to pick out Setif's captain Abdelmoumene Djabou. The Algerian number 10 dribbled pass the Tunisian keeper to slot into an empty net for the lone goal of the game. The goal separates both sides at half time.
🎥 HIGHLIGHTS:
The Algerian side @essetifienne book a #TotalEnergiesCAFCL semi-final spot after their away victory over @ESTunis1919!#ESTESS | @Football2Gether pic.twitter.com/9NTWbT1sjg
— TotalEnergies CAFCL - TotalEnergies CAFCC 🏆 (@CAFCLCC) April 23, 2022
Esperance's attempts for a fightback were dissolved by the visitors who kept the score till fulltime. 25 attempts with just 6 on target for Esperance was not good enough to change their fate. They also dominated possession 72 against 28 for Setif but it is the latter that sails through to the semi finals and will play against Al Ahly.
