EGSG and UST Fall in Latest Round of Tunisian Cup
The final preliminary round of the Tunisian Cup took place over the weekend, with three Ligue 2 clubs being eliminated. Before the entry of Ligue 1 clubs in the round of 16, which will take place on March 20, 21, and 22, the recent round saw its share of surprises and expected outcomes. Let's start with the Ligue 2 clubs that had varying fortunes.
In Djerba, US Djerba Ajim, a divisional club, pulled off a major upset by beating Aigle Sportif de Jelma thanks to goals from Elyès Miled and Tarek Mechi. Another Ligue 2 team, US Tataouine, co-leader of Group A, failed to advance after losing to CS Msaken in a penalty shootout. UST took the lead twice, but ultimately fell short.
Meanwhile, US Ksour Essef quickly wrapped up their match against EGS Gafsa with a score of 2-0 at halftime, thanks to a double from Oussema Mallat.
Moving on to the matches between Ligue 2 clubs and amateur teams, US Chebika suffered a defeat at the hands of El Makarem de Mahdia. The Fatimides dominated the game with a double from Bassem Chaouech and two other goals from Mohamed Ali Ouirimi and Youssef Kasraoui.
In Feriana, another Ligue 2 team, ESF Jendouba, validated their presence in the competition with goals from Ben Mliha, Ferchichi, and Ouni, while ES Feriana had previously reduced the score through Ben Jalleb. There were no surprises in Métlaoui, where the local MS team lost to CS Korba, who won with goals from Jasser Ben Atig and Rayen Meddeb in the first half. On the Kram side, COK resisted against Astre Sportif de Agareb but ultimately lost in extra time with a final score of 3-2.
Cinderella Stories Advance to Round of 16
In Bouhajla, the local Baath team thrashed ES Radès in just an hour with goals from Hassen Mouelhi, Yazem Midani, and Zidane Laâbidi. Finally, in Nefza, ASN failed to contain Stade Gabésien, who won with goals from Ezer Ghali and Walid Jerbi. Five "cinderella" teams have composed their tickets to the round of 16. These include:
- Oasis Sportif de Kebili, who defeated FS Guettar 1-0
- Flambeau Sportif de Sahline, who beat AS Oued Ellil 2-1
- Wided Hamma, who eliminated Stir Zarzouna in a penalty shootout
- Flèche Sportive de Ksar Gafsa, who outdid US Djebel Ejloud in a penalty shootout
- Stade Sportif de Mornag, who ousted Avenir de Hassi Amor in extra time
Results:
- Wided Hamma-Stir Zarzouna (0-0) (5-4 in penalties)
- US Chebika-EM Mahdia (0-4)
- ES Feriana-Jendouba Sport (1-3)
- MS Métlaoui-CS Korba (0-2)
- US Djerba Ajim-AS Jelma (2-0)
- CS Msaken-US Tataouine (2-2) (6-5 in penalties)
- FS Gafsa-US Djebel Ejloud (0-0) (7-6 in penalties)
- SS Mornag-AS Hassi Amor (3-2) (in extra time)
- CO Kram-AS Agareb (2-3) (in extra time)
- AS Nefza-Stade Gabésien (0-2)
- US Ksour Essef-EGS Gafsa (2-0)
- S Kébili-FS Guettar (1-0)
- BS Bouhajla-ES Radès (3-0)
- FS Sahline-AS Oued Ellil (2-1)
Read also: Ligue 1 - 20th day: Cards redistributed at the bottom of the standings
