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

Esperance Sportive de Tunis kept their dreams of making it to the knockout stage of the FIFA Club World Cup alive by securing a slender 1-0 victory over Los Angeles FC, courtesy of a second-half goal from Youcef Belaili, effectively eliminating the MLS side from the tournament.

Both teams entered the match in Nashville having suffered defeats in their opening group encounters, making this clash a ‘must-win’ situation to avoid early elimination.

The Tunisian champions nearly took an early advantage when Belaili had his close-range attempt brilliantly saved by seasoned goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

Just moments later, Esperance threatened again, with Rodrigo Rodrigues striking the post from a distance, while LAFC’s David Martinez squandered a golden opportunity by firing wide from inside the box.

In a quest to reverse their trend of conceding first in five consecutive matches, LAFC looked to assert themselves as halftime neared. Steven Cherundolo’s men believed they had found the crucial breakthrough, only for Martinez’s effort to be disallowed due to an offside call against Denis Bouanga during the build-up.

Frustration soon fell on ES Tunis at the start of the second half, as a penalty awarded for a foul on Belaili was swiftly overturned by VAR, which resulted in the Algerian being shown a yellow card for diving instead.

Following that tense moment, Maher Kanzari’s side increased their pressure in search of a goal, which finally arrived in the 70th minute. Belaili capitalised on a loose ball inside the box and sent a low shot through Lloris’s legs to score.

Esperance came close to doubling their lead late in the game, with Khalil Guenichi striking the crossbar from distance.

This provided LAFC a glimmer of hope as the game approached stoppage time. After a couple of missed chances from Bouanga and Javairo Dilrosun, they were awarded a penalty due to a questionable late challenge on Marlon in the area.

Bouanga stepped up to take the penalty; however, in a stunning twist, Bechir Ben Said managed to save the shot with his trailing leg, securing yet another victory for Esperance after scoring first.

This result keeps their qualification hopes alive as they look forward to a crucial match against Chelsea, while LAFC exits the competition with a match still to play.

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