"Sang et Or" Qualify with Ease
From the very first seconds, Christian Bracconi's men made their intentions clear: they were heading to Métlaoui with the firm intention of securing their ticket to the quarterfinals of the Tunisian Cup. The "Sang et Or" couldn't have asked for a better start to the match: barely a minute in, Jacques Diarra slipped down the left flank and delivered a precise cross for Houssem Tka, who responded with a powerful shot that left the opposing goalkeeper, Hamza Ben Chérifia, speechless (1'). A goal so swift, scored just 30 seconds into the game. The Miners took around 10 minutes to digest the early goal. The first attempt by the locals came at the 13' mark: Chérif Bodian capitalized on a loose ball cleared by the Espérance defense and shot just above the crossbar. The pace of the game then slowed down for a quarter of an hour. It wasn't until the 27' mark that the Espérance attackers regained momentum: a passing exchange between Kouceila Boualia and Achref Jabri in the penalty area, followed by Keita's attempt, which unfortunately went off-target. Hamza Rafia then sealed off this first half with a great opportunity, unleashing a powerful shot from the left flank, but the opposing goalkeeper intercepted the ball (45'). In the second half, the players on both sides seemed to have more freedom to express themselves. The visitors doubled their lead through Achref Jabri, who was set up by Jacques Diarra's clever playmaking. Diarra had done all the hard work, beating the opposing defenders in the penalty area before delivering a pinpoint accurate cross to the far post (58'). Just two minutes later, Kouceila Boualia took his time to control the ball and responded with a powerful shot from 18 meters, tripling the score (60'). With nothing to lose, the Miners decided to go all out: Raed Fedaa reduced the deficit with a well-placed cross (68'). The game became more open on both sides, but Christian Bracconi's men were determined to secure their spot in the quarterfinals of the Tunisian Cup. They managed to preserve their lead until the final whistle.
ESM (Espérance Sportive de Métlaoui) Lineup:
- Ben Chérifia (goalkeeper)
- Bahri
- Meskini
- Soltani (Fedaa 46')
- Diamé
- Gasmi (Haji 65')
- Bodian
- Kouasse
- Boukhris
- Sylla
- Mnasri (Hermes 86')
EST (Espérance Sportive de Tunis) Lineup:
- Memmiche
- Keita
- Laifi
- Jelassi
- Meriah (Ben Hmida 78')
- Konaté
- Rafia
- Tka (Haj Ali 78')
- Boualia
- Diarra (Dhaou 58')
- Jabri (Danho 58')
