The epic of the goalless draw between Esperance Sportive de Tunis and Al Ahly

In the first leg of the final of the African Champions League for the 2023-2024 season, the match between the Tunisian team Esperance Sportive de Tunis and its guest Al Ahly of Egypt ended in a goalless draw on the pitch of Hammadi Agrabi Stadium in Rades. The title decision is postponed to the second leg match that will be played on the pitch of Cairo International Stadium on the evening of the upcoming Saturday, the twenty-fifth of May.

The first half started with continuous pressure from the Esperance team on Al Ahly's defenses, which retreated to the middle of the field. Despite this, the Brazilian Rodrigo Rodriguez failed to translate this pressure into a goal in the sixth minute, as his header hit the right post of Al Ahly's goal. Over time, Al Ahly regained its balance and controlled the midfield, with control exchanged with the Esperance team.

In the early minutes, Al Ahly succeeded in imposing its control over the match, with exploiting the launches of Imam Ashour and Wissam Abu Ali to confuse Esperance's defenses, while Esperance failed to pose a threat due to its slow preparation for the attacks. In the fortieth minute, Ghailan Al-Chaalali shot a dangerous ball from a free kick, but it hit the crossbar, and the first half ended in a goalless draw.

On the same note, the second half started with continuous control from Esperance, during which it tried to advance continuously and pose a threat to Al Ahly's goal. In the fifty-third minute, a new opportunity was provided for Esperance from a set piece, but Yassine Meriah's header passed next to the goal.

Al Ahly responded with a quick counter-attack through Hussein El Shahat, but Imam Ashour's shot hit the crossbar. In the sixty-second minute, Ashour wasted a new opportunity with a ground shot that passed next to the left post of Esperance's goal.

Defensive caution dominated the performance of the two teams in the last ten minutes of the match, as it did not witness any dangerous attempts on the goals of the two teams, and the match ended in a goalless draw.

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