Penalty joy as Esperance wins fifth Tunisian Super Cup




© FAR

Giants Esperance sportive de Tunis won their fifth Tunisian Super Cup title on Sunday (20 September 2020), beating rivals CS Sfaxien 5-4 on penalties after a goalless draw at Rades.

Mohamed Ali Yaacoubi, Abelraouf Benguit, Yassine Khenissi, Farouk Mimouni and Abdelkader Bedrane scored from the spot for Esperance with Hamdou Elhouni’s shot rebounding from the woodwork, while Achraf Habbasi, Aymen Harzi, Hani Amamo and Mohamed Ali Jouini scored for Sfaxien, with Abdullah El Amri and Islam Bakeer missing.

This is Esperance’s 5th Super Cup title and their second in a row after beating CA Bizertin last year, confirming their tag as the most successful side in the annual match that gathers Tunisian Ligue 1 and Tunisian Cup champions. Club Africain and Etoile du Sahel follow with three titles each. Meanwhile Sfaxien lost the Super Cup for the second time in as many appearances.

The first half was a story of rare chances, with Esperance captain Khalil Chemam injured and forced to leave his place for Bedrane. Sfaxien goalkeeper Aymen Dehmane was alert to stop Bilel Ben Saha and Khenissi efforts as the opening stanza ended goalless.

It was a similar story after the break, with both coaches introducing substitutes in search for the opener. But it was the penalty shootout that decided the game in Esperance favor.

Meanwhile, the 2020-21 season of Tunisian Professional League (Ligue 1) is set to kick off on 24 October.