Club Africain Consolidates Leadership in Tunisian Professional Football League
In a thrilling match, Club Africain solidified its position at the top of the Tunisian Professional Football League, defeating Stade Tunisien 2-0 in the Tunis derby. Meanwhile, JS Kairouan and AS Soliman secured crucial victories in their bid to avoid relegation on Sunday, during the 28th round of matches.
At Radès, Faouzi Benzarti's team made the difference with goals from Oussama Sehili (52') and Oussama Cherimi (57'), in a match marked by two disallowed goals after VAR review, one for each team. This logical victory allowed the Clubistes to reach 62 points, five more than Espérance de Tunis, which faces JS Omrane on Monday before the highly anticipated Tunis derby on May 10.
Club Africain has also secured its spot in the Champions League, with a six-point lead over CS Sfaxien (3rd, 56 points) and a better goal-average. The "Red and Whites" have made the most difficult part of the season.
Stade Tunisien (4th, 44 points) is losing momentum, having drawn six consecutive matches (3 draws, 3 defeats) and seeing US Monastir, now just two points behind, before hosting ES Metlaoui on Monday.
At the Taïeb Mhiri stadium, CS Sfaxien ensured the essential by beating Olympique de Béja 2-0, thanks to goals from Hamza Mathlouthi (31') and Jamal Mutyaba (37'). The Sfaxiens have now gone nine matches without defeat (6 wins, 3 draws) and have solidified their position on the podium with 56 points. However, the situation is becoming increasingly complicated for the Béjaois, who are still threatened (13th, 28 points) with two rounds to go.
On the other hand, AS Soliman went to Ben Guerdane and secured three precious points with a goal from Amanallah Mejhed (22'). This victory has given new hope to the Slimanais, although they remain second-to-last with 24 points. US Ben Guerdane (9th, 34 points) could lose places as early as Monday under the pressure of several pursuers.
Finally, in Gabès, JS Kairouan also raised its head by winning the match against the local team, thanks to goals from Youssef Azib (87') and Amine Zairi (90'). This important victory was, however, insufficient to lift the team out of the relegation zone (14th, 27 points). AS Gabès, the bottom team with 19 points, has sunk further after this new defeat.
Results
Sunday, May 3
- Radès: Club Africain 2 (Oussama Sehili 52', Oussama Cherimi 57') - Stade Tunisien 0
- Sfax: CS Sfaxien 2 (Hamza Mathlouthi 31', Jamal Mutyaba 37') - Olympique de Béja 0
- Gabès: AS Gabès 0 - JS Kairouan 2 (Youssef Azib 87', Amine Zairi 90')
- Ben Guerdane: US Ben Guerdane 0 - AS Soliman 1 (Amanallah Mejhed 22')
Monday, May 4
- Zouiten: JS Omrane - Espérance ST
- Bizerte: CA Bizertin - AS Marsa
- Monastir: US Monastir - ES Métlaoui
- Zarzis: ES Zarzis - Etoile du Sahel
Standings
| Rank | Team | Points | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Club Africain | 62 | 28 | 18 | 8 | 2 | 41 | 9 | +32 |
| 2. | Espérance ST | 57 | 27 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 43 | 10 | +33 |
| 3. | CS Sfaxien | 56 | 28 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 37 | 12 | +25 |
| 4. | Stade Tunisien | 44 | 28 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 27 | 14 | +13 |
| 5. | US Monastir | 42 | 27 | 10 | 12 | 5 | 25 | 16 | +9 |
| 6. | Etoile du Sahel | 38 | 27 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 24 | +1 |
| 7. | ES Métlaoui | 36 | 27 | 8 | 12 | 7 | 18 | 24 | -6 |
| 8. | JS Omrane | 35 | 27 | 10 | 5 | 12 | 21 | 28 | -7 |
| 9. | US Ben Guerdane | 34 | 28 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 21 | -3 |
| 10. | CA Bizertin | 33 | 27 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 17 | 24 | -7 |
| 11. | ES Zarzis | 32 | 27 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 24 | 27 | -3 |
| 12. | AS Marsa | 31 | 27 | 10 | 1 | 16 | 22 | 27 | -5 |
| 13. | O. Béja | 28 | 28 | 8 | 4 | 16 | 15 | 37 | -22 |
| 14. | JS Kairouan | 27 | 28 | 8 | 3 | 17 | 19 | 41 | -22 |
| 15. | AS Soliman | 24 | 28 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 28 | -14 |
| 16. | AS Gabès | 18 | 28 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 11 | 35 | -24 |
