FIFACWC: Elias Mokwana attributes Espérance win to ‘fixing last problems’

Photo Credit – Espérance de Tunis.

Espérance de Tunis winger Elias Mokwana has discussed the team’s hard-earned 1-0 FIFA Club World Cup victory against Los Angeles FC at Geodis Park on Friday.

Youcef Belaïli scored in the 70th minute before goalkeeper Ben Said saved a penalty deep in second-half stoppage time to keep the North Africans qualification hopes alive in a dramatic contest in Nashville.

According to Mokwana, who joined Espérance in 2024 after signing a three-year contract, the North Africans had to improve on their performance in the opening fixture to get the win against the Major League Soccer (MLS) side.

Espérance kicked off their Group D campaign with a 2-0 defeat against Brazilian outfit Flamengo.

“We played as a team today, and we fixed the problems that we had in the last game. We are grateful for the three points,” Mokwena told FIFA.com after the game.

The Tunisian side are level with Chelsea on three points in Group D, after the English side lost 3-1 to Flamengo earlier on Friday.

Espérance meet Chelsea on Tuesday in Philadelphia, with the winner advancing to the knockout phase. In the case of a draw, Chelsea will qualify based on superior goal difference.