Tunisia: Chaouat hat-trick leads Club Africain past rivals Étoile du Sahel

Tunisia national team striker Firas Chaouat was the hero for Club Africain on Thursday, scoring all three goals in a 3-0 derby victory over Étoile du Sahel in Tunisia’s Ligue 1 Professionnelle.

 

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The latest Tunis classico had all the atmosphere…and smoke, that is to be expected from a rivalry match and it was the league’s leading scorer who excelled. The 29-year-old, who represented his nation at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, opened the scoring close to halftime when he finished from a low cross by Ghaith Zaalouni in the 41st minute.

In the second half, Chaouat continued his heroics with two goals in quick succession to finish off the victory for CA. Heading in the second goal following a short corner kick, less than three minutes later the hat-trick was complete when he finished Oussama Shili’s cross from close range.

CA are now level with another rival, Espérance Tunis, at the top of the table on 37 points. They are three points ahead of third place Stade Tunisien, who won the only match played on Tuesday with a 1-0 result at JS Kairouan. On Wednesday, CS Sfaxien and AS Gabes were victorious while the most notable result saw US Monastir defeat Espérance 2-1.

For L’Étoile, it has been a difficult 2025-26 season to say the least. The 11-time Ligue 1 champions began their campaign with disaster in the CAF Confederation Cup when they were eliminated by Kenyan club Nairobi United. The club have recovered somewhat in domestic competition but remain in a disappointing position in 8th place.