Goals from Youcef Belaïli and Elias Mokwana in the first half gave Espérance ST a 2-0 victory against Egypt's Pyramids FC and first place in Group D of the CAF Champions League on Saturday evening. EST move three points ahead of Pyramids in the Group D table with the victory, a strong effort for the Tunisian giants who asserted their dominance over their most worthy adversary in the group.
It was a comprehensive victory for the Blood and Gold whose only setback came with the forced substitution of central midfielder Roger Aholou due to injury. Pyramids managed to resist for the opening half hour but it was Algerian star Belaïli who found space to fire a missile shot past Pyramids goalkeeper Ahmed El Shenawy in the 36th minute.
Pyramids attempted to keep the deficit to one goal before halftime but after creating a rare attack in first half stoppage time, their spirit was broken by a second goal. A long ball over the top of the Pyramids defense found EST's Brazilian striker Rodrigo Rodrigues who had the ball tackled away. However, South African attacker Mokwana followed the play and was there to finish for the second goal.
The second half saw EST focus on the defensive end but there was little reply for Pyramids who appeared to still be suffering from the effects of illness throughout the squad during their trip to Bamako and Tunis. However in the weakest group of the competition, Pyramids can focus their efforts on domestic league play before they meet EST at home in early January.
Highlights
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