before:
Espérance must win to preserve a realistic chance to win the group.

1st half:
- Esperance play with Julius Aghahowa and start attacking
- ('8) sensational save by El Ouaer against a Sable de Batie header from close range
- Esperance defence seem to take the match too easy after the Tunisians have dominated the first minutes
- Sable de Batie with some surprising attacking skills while their defenders have no control of the Tunisian attack - it looks like a game which will see some scores despite a bumpy ground is a handicap for combinations
- ('31) after 15 or 20 rather boring minutes Esperance squanders two promising opportunities by bad passing and technical mistake

halftime 0:0
what looked like a match promising goals in the first minutes has turned to a rather dull kick and rush as attacks fail to come up with precise combinations on an uneven pitch

2nd half:
- ('53) blowe for Esperance: prominent defender Jaidi gets his second yellow card - Esperance are down to 10
- Esperance is seeking attack anyway
- ('61) a counter attack by Sable de Batie, a defenders/attackers mismatch, and a lob from 18 meters over the keeper into the goal - 1:0
- ('62) the ineffective Aghahowa is replaced (Zitouni and Reinaldo have not have had any good scenes either)
- pressure by Esperance 
- ('69) Chihi sets up a good attack of Espereance but the alerted keeper steps out in time - he is a good field player
- ('76) a defender slips but a technical error deprives Ali Zitouni of a clearcut chance
- ('83) the best of a few half chances for Sable de Batie after counter attacks - not the first one high across the bar
- ('87) a good shot from 18 meters by Sable but across the bar
- ('88) a quick break and Esperance score on the other side from 16 meters against the running out keeper- 1:1
- Esperance in a hurry now
- ('90) a shot from 18 meters, the keeper saves but can only let the ball bounce back into the field where Ali Zitouni has been most alerted and scores - 1:2

final score: 1:2
a Cinderealla comeback for Esperance - they did not look good the entire match, they did not even have good opportunities to equalise,  but turned the match around against a maybe naiv side from Sable de Batie 

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