Espérance held to draw by affiliate club in midst of tight title race in Tunisia

The title race in Tunisia’s Ligue 1 Professionnelle continues to come down to the wire, with a tie at the top following Thursday’s 2-2 draw between Espérance Tunis and ES Zarzis.

EST’s affiliate club did not provide any favors in a crucial match, leaving the reigning champions level on 55 points with rivals Club Africain. Only five rounds remain in the campaign.

All four goals were scored in an entertaining first half. French striker Florian Danho opened the scoring for EST inside seven minutes before a frantic end to the half.

The two teams exchanged three goals over the course of ten minutes before halftime. Cameroonian midfielder David Nyengue equalized deep into stoppage time with a low finish to leave the teams level at 2-2 going into the interval.

The second half provided more frustration for the defending champions, who created plenty of opportunities but failed to capitalize.

 

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Despite being eliminated from the CAF Champions League last weekend by Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, the fixture congestion remains high for Taraji. Thursday’s match kicked off the first of four domestic league matches in nine days. Next up is a test away from home on Sunday at CA Bizertin.

EST will likely need to win their next match, considering that Club Africain will be at home against lowly JS Kairouan. As for ESZ, they are in 10th place following Thursday’s result.

League Table: Espérance and Club Africain level at the top