Ben Said’s Heroic Save Secures Esperance’s Chances Following 1-0 Victory Against LAFC

Esperance Sportive de Tunis kept their chances of reaching the knockout stage of the FIFA Club World Cup intact after a solitary goal from Youcef Belaili in the second half secured a 1-0 victory over Los Angeles FC, consequently eliminating the MLS side from contention.

With both teams having suffered defeats in their opening matches, this encounter in Nashville became a crucial must-win scenario as ES Tunis and LAFC battled to stave off early exit from the tournament.

The Tunisian champions nearly took the lead early on when Belaili had a close-range shot spectacularly saved by veteran goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

Shortly after, Esperance threatened again, with Rodrigo Rodrigues striking the post from the outskirts of the penalty area while at the other end, David Martinez squandered a decent opportunity by firing wide from a promising position.

Having struggled with conceding first in five consecutive matches, LAFC aimed to assert control as the first half came to a close, and thought they had found the crucial goal only for Martinez’s effort to be disallowed due to an offside in the build-up by Denis Bouanga.

The frustration continued for ES Tunis at the start of the second half when VAR overturned a penalty awarded for a supposed foul on Belaili, leading to the Algerian forward instead receiving a yellow card for simulation.

Following that dramatic moment, Maher Kanzari’s side increased their attacking efforts, and the breakthrough came in the 70th minute when Belaili seized on a loose ball in the box and fired a low shot beneath Lloris.

Esperance came close to adding a second goal later in the match when Khalil Guenichi’s long-range strike hit the crossbar.

This allowed LAFC a chance to regroup heading into stoppage time, and after poor attempts from Bouanga and Javairo Dilrosun, they were awarded a penalty after a late misjudged tackle on Marlon in the area.

Bouanga stepped up to take the penalty, but in a dramatic twist, Bechir Ben Said saved the effort with his trailing leg, ensuring that Esperance recorded their tenth consecutive win after scoring first.

This result keeps Esperance’s hopes of qualification alive as they prepare for a pivotal match against Chelsea, while LAFC exits the tournament with a game still to play.

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