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Etoile Close in on Title With Club Africain Still Hot on Their Heels

April 21st, 2008 | By: Rami | 11 Comments »

The match that everyone was waiting for certainly did not disappoint. It finished on a 2-2 tie and there was everything you could ask for a in a soccer match: Plenty of chances, beautiful passing, some fancy dribbles, amazing saves, multiple lead changes and fan-tastic fan support (pun intended).

Etoile dominated the first half and should have scored on more than one occasion but were thwarted by League 1 record keeper Adel Nefzi as well as their inefficiency in front of goal. Club Africain went ahead against the run of play off a lovely cross from Sellami that was expertly deviated by Wissem Ben Yahia into the net.

The score didn’t stay that way for long as Ben Yahia went from hero to villain when he pulled Ben Dhifallah down in the box and the Spanish referee whistled the penalty decision. Afouane Gharbi slotted it calmly and stopped the clock on Nefzi’s goalkeeping record (13 matches without conceding). At this point Ben Chikha lost it and was ejected for questioning the referees decision and sarcastically applauding him.

One can’t be sure if this was unsettling for CA but soon thereafter it got worse for the boys from the capital as Nefzi, who had been spectacular up to this point, gifted Gilson Silva the ball and the Cape Verdian showed great composure to score from a tight angle.

A lot is being said about the referee for the following reasons:

1. Etoile was denied a legitimate goal in the first half when an offside was given even though a CA player on the ground was holding Gilson onside. The rule book is pretty clear about this. Every player on the field counts, even ones on the ground.

2. CA fans feel the penalty at the beginning of the half was a gift. All you have to do is watch the replay, that was the correct decision.

3. The referee called Ben Yahia for simulation but didn’t give him the automatic yellow that goes along with it. This would’ve resulted in a red and probably changed the game completely.

4. There was a legitimate penalty denied for CA when Jmal shoved Ouertani in the box on a corner kick. If the Ben Yahia grab on Ben Dhifallah was a penalty (and it was), then so was this one.

I don’t really have much more to say about that. There’s almost always going to be mistakes made in this department. It’s all about how you deal with them on the field and I think both teams did quite well.

The Good: Attacking football and momentum swings in the match. Etoile played better on the whole and created more chances but CA definitely scored the prettier goals (I’m sure they would take 3 ugly ones over the two that went in though). Wissem Ben Yahia takes the lead in the goalscorer rankings with nine goals on the season. Not bad for a defensive midfielder!

The Bad: Ben Chikha needs to keep his cool. Criticizing a referee never gets you anywhere. People working the match need to have the correct “feuille de match” so that substitutions don’t get delayed like they did when Dhaouadi was trying to come out for Borhen Ghannem.

The Ugly: Souheil Berradhia refusing to shake Dhaouadi’s hand after the match. Really not what you want to see from a professional athlete. Thankfully it seems to be an exception as the rest of the players shook hands and displayed fair play.

So things stay the same at the top of table and Etoile undoubtedly edges closer to the title following this result. CA still has a lot to play for as there’s four matches to go and they’re only two points behind but they missed their chance to take destiny into their own hands. Yesterday was a golden opportunity and they might be left to rue their mistakes. Given the standings, It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this is a more positive result for the team from the Sahel but they’ll have to hold off on the celebrations.

TV7 - Dimanche Sport 20/04 - (6)
Uploaded by SuperBeurkMan

Continues here.

What did you guys think of the match? Did Etoile just seal the title? Can CA still dream? Esperance players each team twice, who will they spoil things for?

Tags: Club Africain, Club Sportive du Sahel, Group H, Tunisia Football, Wissem Ben Yahia

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Comments

By thamer | April 21st, 2008 at 4:44 pm

good report rami. i appreciate that your reports are never biased ( your recognition of referee mistakes on both ends. in any case, i enjoyed watching the highlights and the result was a good one for me…forza taraji

Posted from United States

By Rachid | April 21st, 2008 at 6:51 pm

Thanks, Rami, for a well balanced piece! Hard to tell you’re a CA fan. The game definitely met everyone’s expectations and did not disappoint as you said. I could not believe CA survived the Etoile onslaught during the entire first half. Chermiti was surely missed! I was particularly impressed by Afouane Gharbi and Muri Ugumbiye during the first half and Ben Radhia during the second half. I think he has proven he’s the most suitable replacement for Ben Frej (unfortunately, he also seems to have similar personality, but maybe that’s how he likes to play his game). Overall, I think this game showed Tunisian soccer is alive and well. It also showed that for games like these we need a foreign referee, preferably a European. Were it not for that Spanish referee, I don’t think we would have seen that many goals. For some reason, Tunisian referees do not call penalties! Finally, I think CA chances greatly depend on their next match against Esperance; if they don’t win, the race is almost over. I do wish the competition to continue until the last day in the championship!

By Rami | April 21st, 2008 at 10:52 pm

Thanks guys, I tried to hide my disappointment as much as possible. I put on my objective Tunisia mask on when I write these things hehe. The most important thing is the development of the game in our country and this game can attest to the fact that we have one of (perhaps THE) best professional league in the region.

While the Spanish ref wasn’t exemplary, choosing a foreign ref for these big matches seems to be a requirement now because everyone mistrusts Tunisian refs as the common perception (and sometimes reality) is that they have ties to certain clubs.

BTW, I want to say that I watched the rest of Dimanche sport and realized that Souheil’s Berradhia’s act wasn’t as bad as I thought. I didn’t realize him not wanting to shake Dhaouadi’s hand happened during the game. I thought it was afterwards. That changes a lot. During the heat of battle I can see being pissed off enough not to want to shake someone hand after they foul you or smthn. Sometimes nerves flare. Berradhia called up the show and explained himself, saying that he was really sorry and that him and Dhaouadi shook hands and shared some laughs after the game. My fault on the misinterpretation. Finally something I’m happy to be wrong about!

By Yassine | April 22nd, 2008 at 5:45 am

I really enjoyed the game, both teams played attacking football which is rare in Tunisia. I surprisingly found myself calm after Ben Yahia’s first goal, I was confident that we’ll score at 2nd half because it’s impossible to not score a goal when you create at least 5 incredible chances.
I was impressed by the performances of three players who were clearly at another level: Wissem Ben Yahia (He should be a starter in Tunisia’s NT), Souheil Berradhia (It isn’t easy to replace Saber Ben Frej) and Adel Nefzi.
I think that ESS will be champions again. We just have to win our last matches without looking behind us. I hope that we’ll seal everything before the ultimate game vs EST like last year.
I didn’t know that you’re a CA fan from your previous posts. Thank you for giving a true image on Tunisia’s football Rami.

By Rami | April 22nd, 2008 at 8:37 am

BTW, did you guys see my last comment on the previous article (Derby Sans Chermiti/Mouihbi)? Anyone interested in starting a blog about their favorite team on our sister site, theoffside.com, should get in touch with Daryl at daryl@theoffside.com

We need some African clubs represented on that site! I’m sure some of you could do really great for your respective teams. Alright, I’ll stop pushing that now

Posted from United States

By marwen | April 22nd, 2008 at 4:14 pm

The only reason i was talking about rain before was because when it rains my satlite doesn’t work well. Well good thing it wasn’t raining and i was able to watch the game.

I thought that the game was very good and both teams played very well. It was a good game and I think that 2-2 was a good score. The part where etoile got their second goal seemed very funny to me with what CA’s goalie did. He kept trying to hit the ball till he missed it, i think if the defense helped him, then that wouldn’t of have happened. Both teams played great attacking football which kept the game exciting.

By Rami | April 22nd, 2008 at 4:43 pm

Marwen, when I was growing up I had the same problem except it was mostly with wind. If it was really windy I could kiss my Tunisian satellite goodbye!

By Rachid | April 22nd, 2008 at 5:05 pm

Rami, I did see your note on starting a ESS blog, and I appreciate your vote of confidence. I have a very hectic job, but this may be something I would actually enjoy doing. What’s involved? What are the resources? On another subject, I’m sure you’ve heard already, the CA-EST game will be a regular game (with spectators), so the famous #12 CA player will be present! Good luck!

Posted from United States

By Rami | April 23rd, 2008 at 9:30 am

Hey Rachid, it’s really simple. They send you a login and a link to WordPress which is the web based application where we write the blog entries. From there you can write drafts and save them and publish them whenever you want. Not much more than that, you really have all the freedom to take the blog in any direction or style you want. In terms of resources we can correspond by email about the websites I visit and how to embed video and find good sources (its all really simple and I’m sure just with your viewing of TV7 you could be fine). Let me know if you end up deciding to do it and I’ll send you an email with some helpful links where you can get good info (you probably know most of them). If you just send daryl a message showing you interest and telling him why you think you’d be a good choice I’m sure you’ll be up and running in no time. He’ll have some helpful tips and documents on how to use word press effectively. I think it’s only right that the champions of Africa have a blog to document their attempt to repeat.

And yes, I heard about the EST sanctions being reduced. Very happy about that. Two derby’s without fans would be too much to handle. Best of luck to ESS on their long trip to Zimbabwe. Not an ideal time in their political history to be going there really but you guys have shown that you can deal with these long trips already! Inshallah Marbou7a for all the Tunisian teams in African Competitions.

Posted from United States

By Skander | April 25th, 2008 at 6:07 am

Guys, it’s gonna be more, and more, and more frustration!!!!!!!!!! The cursed FTF, may they all rot in hell, is hiring another defensive play coach!!! Check the BBC!

Posted from Japan

By Rami | April 25th, 2008 at 11:53 am

Thanks for the heads up Skander. I had read the rumor on Tunisie Foot but was hoping it was only a rumor before I posted it. Seeing it on the BBC, MTN foot, Tunisian press and everywhere else. I’ve posted my reaction…