Esperance de Tunis have been dealt a significant blow ahead of their crucial CAF Champions League semi-final second leg against Mamelodi Sundowns. The Tunisian club will be without their influential central defender, Mohamed Amine Tougai, due to suspension.
Tougai received a yellow card during the first leg in Pretoria, which ended in a goalless draw. That booking was his second of the competition, triggering an automatic one-match ban. His absence leaves a major gap in the heart of Esperance’s defense for the decisive return fixture at the Hammadi Agrebi Stadium on Friday, April 26th.
The club confirmed the suspension in an official statement, acknowledging the setback. “The first leg of the semi-final saw Mohamed Amine Tougai receive a yellow card, leading to his suspension for the second leg due to card accumulation,” the statement read.
This development complicates Esperance’s task as they aim to secure a place in the final. The team had traveled to South Africa with a defensive strategy, successfully containing Sundowns’ attack to earn a valuable clean sheet away from home. Now, coach Miguel Cardoso must reorganize his backline without one of its key pillars for the home encounter.
The winner of this tie will face the victor of the other semi-final between Egypt’s Al Ahly and Tanzania’s Simba SC in the Champions League final.
