Espérance de Tunis tightened their grip on the Tunisian Ligue 1 title race with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over CS Sfaxien on Saturday night.
The Round 28 clash at the Stade Olympique de Radès saw the hosts take a crucial three points that pushed them clear at the top of the standings.
The win puts Espérance on 62 points, two ahead of their closest challengers, US Monastir, while Sfaxien remain eighth with 38 points.
The result came courtesy of a first-half strike from Brazilian forward Yan Sasse, who calmly finished in the 17th minute after receiving a well-placed assist from Mohamed Amine Ben Hamida.
CS Sfaxien showed glimpses of promise in the second half, nearly equalising when Mohamed Dhaoui “Cristo” went on a solo run but fired his effort over the bar.
Espérance responded with sustained pressure, with Rodrígues twice forcing key saves from Sfaxien goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen around the 50-minute mark.
Espérance maintained their composure and continued to dominate possession, asserting control in midfield. Sfaxien’s hopes of a comeback diminished significantly when Mohamed Al-Absi received a red card in the 80th minute, reducing the visitors to ten men for the final stretch.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, CS Sfaxien came agonisingly close to levelling the score late in the game.
In the 87th minute, Ahmed Ajlal unleashed a fierce strike that beat the goalkeeper but was denied by the post.
Espérance held on in the tense closing minutes to secure the narrow win, further strengthening their bid for the domestic title.
With just a few games remaining, the club from Bab Souika now controls its own destiny in the race for top honours.
