CAF champions league: Sasse, Meriah on target as Esperance dispatch Sahel

Etoile du Sahel did not deserve to lose, but Esperance de Tunis deserved the victory in the CAF champions league.

Esperance sportive de Tunis (EST) successfully began its new African campaign in the Champions League, winning, on Saturday, November 25, 2023, at the Radès stadium, in front of the other Tunisian fans.

The match on the first day of the group stage was, however, very balanced and the hosts could well have won the game if they had capitalized on the numerous scoring opportunities they had created, particularly in the first half, during which they had surprised Esperance by pressing, with unfailing commitment, pushing them to make errors that could have been fatal.

Sahel was prevented from scoring a couple of times by the young Esperance goalkeeper, Amanallah Memich, arguably the best player in his team, making stunning saves and keeping his teammates in the match.

In the second half, Esperance took matters in their hands and thanks to a quick counter-attack, Brazilian national Yan Sasse got away from the defenders and beat Gazzah for 1-0.

Two minutes later, Yassine Meriah transformed a penalty obtained by right-back Mohamed Ben Ali, thus ending the hopes of Sahel of any comeback.