Tunisia Ligue 1: US Monastir move level with leaders Espérance

Poor recent form from Tunisia Ligue 1 Professionnelle leaders Espérance de Tunis opened the door and US Monastir took advantage on Thursday.

USM earned an important 2-1 victory away from home against ES Zarzis to move level on points with the reigning champions. It was a perfect start for the challengers with two first half goals from Dhiaeddine Jouni arriving in a five-minute span. ESZ, a difficult opponent who also reside in a top five position, could only manage a late consolation in the 80th minute.

The pressure continues to rise on Tunis giants Espérance who have drawn their last two league matches. The two contenders are level on 53 points each with EST still having the edge due to a 2-0 victory at Monastir earlier in the season. EST and USM will not meet again until the final match of the season, the result of which could very well decide the Tunisian champion.

There still remain a couple more teams who remain in the title chase. Club Africain are within three points in third place after a dramatic 1-0 victory over Stade Tunisien on Thursday. Hamza Ben Abda headed in a corner kick in the final minute of second half stoppage time to keep CA within reach of the league leaders.

The other two results from Thursday saw EGS Gafsa and US Tataouine earn victories to boost their chances of escaping relegation. Gafsa defeated ES Métlaoui by a 2-0 result to move out of the drop zone while last placed UST handed Olympique Béja their fifth consecutive defeat in a 2-1 result.

The league will take an extended period off due to the upcoming FIFA window. With tight races on both ends of the table, the time off will be an excellent time to regroup for a thrilling conclusion to the campaign.

League Table (25 of 30 matches played)