Despite the Commitment Shown by the Attackers of Both Teams, Finishing was Terribly Lacking
The Press -— The Zarzissiens, who were coming off two heavy defeats, approached yesterday's match against the reigning Tunisian champion with the hope of stopping the bleeding. For their part, the "Blood and Gold" of Tunis traveled to Zarzis with the prospect of maintaining their winning momentum, with seven victories in total between the championship and the Champions League.
Without any observation period, the two protagonists entered the heart of the matter by opting for an offense-oriented game. Barely 5 minutes into the game, the first scoring opportunity arose: Kouceila Boualia's shot was deflected by Zarzis goalkeeper Seifeddine Charfi.
The locals' response did not take long. Seven minutes later, Moumen Rahmani, served behind the defenders in the penalty area, missed an easy goal by shooting weakly into the hands of Béchir Ben Saïd (12').
On the other hand, Boualia also missed a great scoring opportunity with a low shot on the edge of the 16-meter line, which was not powerful enough, and Charfi easily intercepted the ball (16').
The same Boualia returned to the charge three minutes later, served on the last line by Konaté, but his header was largely over the bar (19'). And at this rate of missed opportunities and lack of percussion in the last 30 meters, neither of the two protagonists could take the lead at halftime.
A Missed Penalty! There were changes in the second half on both sides. However, the situation did not change. At 72', Seifeddine Charfi intervened to block Aboubacar Diakité's powerful shot. Nine minutes later, Achref Ben Dhiaf's free kick was deflected into a corner by Houssem Tka (81').
Yassine Meriah even missed a penalty obtained by Konaté, deflected into a corner by the Zarzis goalkeeper (85').
In short, it was a match of missed opportunities on both sides, despite all the good will shown by the attackers. Finishing was terribly lacking.
In the end, Espérance de Zarzis obtained a good point. It's always better than conceding a defeat. As for Espérance de Tunis, their momentum was slowed down. An unconvincing Espérance de Tunis, despite all the good will shown by the Jabris, Diakités, and others like Boualia.
ESZ: Charfi, Ghouma, Diallo, Rejili, Mahressi, Ben Kilani (Tajouri 38'), Khalfa (Ben Dhiaf 64'), Coumbassa, Chouchen (Kassab 64'), Oguh (Innocent 74'), and Rahmani (Jertila 74'). EST: Ben Saïd, Keita (Rached 78'), Ben Hmida, Jelassi, Meriah, Guenichi (Laifi 64'), Tka, Konaté, Jebali (Diakité 64'), Boualia (Ogbelu 64'), and Danho (Jabri 51').
