Burkinabè Team Rahimo Puts Up a Good Fight but Ultimately Falls to Espérance's Might
The Press — As in the first leg, the "Sang et Or" took their time to find the weakness in the Burkinabè team, which defended well for the first 30 minutes of the game. In this sense, the clear chances for the "Sang et Or" were few and far between, despite their total domination of the game. The first attempt was recorded at the 12th minute when, on a free kick taken by Kouceila Boualia near the 16-meter mark, Yassine Meriah jumped higher, but a faster opposing defender intercepted the ball.
Nine minutes later, the first dangerous opportunity of the match arose: Chiheb Jebali, after a slalom and dribble, served Florian Danho, who was face to face with the Burkinabè goalkeeper, but the latter snatched the ball from him just as he was about to shoot (23'). After this serious alert, it was clear that the "Sang et Or" goal was imminent. We didn't have to wait long to see it happen: a corner kick taken by Kouceila Boualia and Hamza Jelassi, who jumped higher than everyone else, deceived the Burkinabè goalkeeper by heading the ball directly into the net (33'). The opening of the score finally freed up the legs, and three minutes later, we witnessed another dangerous action: Houssem Tka led a counter-attack before serving Florian Danho, but a faster opposing defender cut off the ball's trajectory (36').
A Great Day for the Team
In the second half, the "Sang et Or" were much more dangerous. From the start, the tone was set: served in the penalty area by Chiheb Jebali, Florian Danho delivered a crossed shot from the right into a closed angle that left the Rahimo FC goalkeeper without a reaction (51'). And it wasn't over yet. Youssef Belaïli, who was returning from an injury, hadn't lost his touch: with a backheel, he eliminated a defender and served Konaté, whose shot was intercepted by the goalkeeper, who closed the shooting angle (63'). The same Konaté struck again a few minutes later: served by Belaïli, the Ivorian, skilled with the ball at his feet, dribbled the opposing goalkeeper before serving Achref Jabri on the last line, who, with a flick, tripled the score (72'). Konaté could have scored himself, but showed generosity towards Jabri.
Danho, Konaté, Jebali, Tka, and even the returning Belaïli all had a great game. In the end, the more experienced "Sang et Or" naturally qualified for the group stage of the African Champions League. The serious business is just beginning.
