Unexpected Victory for Etoilés
As the match was heading towards a draw, Chaabani opened the scoring in the first minute of extra time before Ben Sghaier doubled the lead. An unexpected victory for the more determined Etoilés.
The Match
The Miners of Métlaoui, seeking to preserve their upward trend with two consecutive victories, traveled to Sousse yesterday. Similarly, the Etoilés had found their way back to victory mid-week.
To achieve their goals, Mohamed Ali Nafkha's men entered the game with a high press on their opponent from the first minutes. The locals' first attempt was recorded at 13': a shot by Salaheddine Ghedamsi on the last line, deflected into a corner by the opposing goalkeeper, Hamza Ben Chérifia, who closed the shooting angle.
As the Miners began to take their game to the attack, Naby Silla deprived his team of his services by being expelled at 25' after fouling Mohamed Dhaoui.
Despite their numerical inferiority, the Miners did not give up, continuing to treat their host as an equal. However, the Métlaoui attackers created few opportunities, and their finishing was terribly lacking. At 30', Ouled Bahia slipped in on the left, dribbled Ogbo, and served Haji, whose header went wide. The same Ouled Bahia, served a few minutes later by Sylla, made a mediocre shot, easily intercepted by the opposing goalkeeper, Ben Hassen (40').
Four Fatal Minutes
In the second half, the lack of percussion was also present during the regular time. Served in retreat by Sylla on the last line, Ouled Bahia attempted a shot, but Ben Hassen closed the shooting angle before deflecting the ball into a corner (60'). On the locals' side, the miss was also present: a cross from the left by Raki Aouani for Mohamed Kanté, whose header went slightly wide (63'). Note that at 84', the referee informed the captains of both teams that the VAR had broken down. And as we were heading towards a draw, two changes made by Mohamed Ali Nafkha proved to be paying off. First, Mohamed Yassine Chaabani opened the scoring with a header following a corner (90'+1). Then, Maher Ben Sghaier doubled the lead in the ultimate minute following a cross from the left by Dhaoui (90'+5). Four fatal minutes for the Miners and a snatched victory, but amply deserved for Mohamed Ali Nafkha's men, who had the merit of believing in it until the final whistle.
Team Lineups
- ESS: Ben Hassen, Ghedamsi, Hnid, Boughattas (Dagdoug 90'), Naouali (Kanté 61'), Gbo, Ben Choug, Bouslama (Senghor 61'), Anen (Ben Sghaier 72'), Dhaoui, and Aouani (Chaabani 90')
- ESM: Ben Chérifia, Bahri, Soltani, Meskini, Ben Hassine, Silla, Bangora (Bouhajeb 78'), Diamé, Haji (Nana 46' then Hermassi 78'), Ouled Bahia, and Guesmi.
Author
Walid NALOUTI
