Esperance Tunis achieved an exciting victory over Al Ahly of Egypt in the quarterfinals of the African Champions League, on Sunday evening at the "Hamadi Agrebi" stadium in Rades, with a single goal that gave the Tunisian team the advantage before the second leg match.
The Algerian defender Mohamed Amine Tougai scored the only goal of the match in the 73rd minute from a penalty kick after a handball on Al Ahly player Mohamed Hani, a decision that sparked protests from the Egyptian team players. The match witnessed numerous opportunities for Esperance, most notably from the Brazilian Yan Sasse and the Ivorian Florian Danho, who almost doubled the score, but Al Ahly goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir brilliantly blocked their shots. In contrast, Al Ahly continued its scoring struggles, as it failed to score for the third consecutive match under the leadership of its Danish coach, Jess Thorup. The first leg match was a test for the French coach Patrice Baumel, who leads Esperance after the former coach Maher Kanzari, and he began to impose his tactical style on the team. The second leg match is scheduled to take place in Cairo on March 21st, without a crowd, in implementation of a penalty on Al Ahly fans after the riots that accompanied the team's match against the Moroccan Royal Army in the group stage.
