Syndical but Regular, EST and ESZ Validate Their Presence in the Apotheosis of the Cup
The Press — After validating their ticket to the C3 and facing ESZ in the semi-finals of the Tunisian Cup, the CSS of Mohamed Kouki aimed to reach the final by facing Onze at Mohamed Mcharek, a team that had recently regained its footing after a setback in the championship.
In doing so, at Taieb-Mhiri, reinforced by its contingent of continentals, absent in the quarterfinals against Stayda, namely Mondeko, Mutyaba, and Ouedrago, the CSS approached this match with all its assets, except for goalkeeper Dahmen, replaced by Gaaloul. Without transition, the teammates of top scorer Omar Ben Ali rushed forward, and as early as the 10th minute, he headed the ball, which narrowly missed the ESZ goal.
The CSS pushed forward, but ESZ countered with lightning speed. Five minutes before the break, a winning header from Khalil Kassab gave the advantage to Espérance de Zarzis, a goal validated by VAR after the fact.
The CSS threw itself forward, but Seif Charfi was present and deflected Mutyaba's shot. Subsequently, the CSS believed more in itself, but ESZ showed itself to be just as dangerous through Oluwaseun Adepoju, who "touched wood." Ten minutes from the end, Firas Sakouhi scored, but his goal was not validated by VAR for an offside by Iyed Belwafi. In the end, ESZ fully built its success.
Espérance in Command
At Chedly-Zouiten, Christian Bracconi's EST faced JSO, an ambitious outsider. However, like the CSS, Espérance could count on its army of foreigners, particularly Konaté, Diarra, and Florian Danho.
As for JS d'El Omrane, before the three matches, they could still count on the presence of goalkeeper Montassar Essid, alongside axial Sami Hammami, playmaker Ouday Belhadj, and striker Bilel Touati. The moment of truth had arrived, and the truth of the terrain was revealed.
From the kickoff, if EST settled into the opposing camp, JSO remained well-positioned, but by pushing forward, around the half-hour mark, Florian Danho opened the score for Espérance with an unstoppable shot. Subsequently, JSO advanced its block by a notch but exposed itself to the opposing counter. At 40', Mohamed Ben Ali's shot was deflected by Montassar Essid.
In the second half, EST created the most clear-cut opportunities, through Yan Sasse's header and Mohamed Ben Ali's dry shot. The "Sang et Or" passed into the final. This will be a remake of the 2005 final.
Results:
- CSS-ESZ (0-1)
- JSO-EST (0-1)
