Advantage Esperance heading into Rades

Mohammed Belaili of Esperance

Saturday Apr 06, 2019. 23:20

Esperance de Tunis will be clear favourites to book their place in the final four following a 3-2 win over CS Constantine in a first-leg quarter-final clash at Stade Mohamed Hamlaoui in Constantine on Saturday.

Victory leaves the defending champions in pole position heading into the second-leg in Rades on the 13th of April.

The visitors opened the scoring in Algeria in the sixth minute through Youcef Belaili who made no mistake from the penalty spot.

Fousseny Coulibaly doubled the Tunisian's advantage two minutes following the interval, but the hosts would draw level following goals from Adil Djabout and Nassim Yattou.

Esperance, though, would claim the win with a killer third away goal in the 74th minute as Mohamed Yacoubi struck home to silence the home crowd.

CS Constantine (0) 2 (Djabout 49' Yattou 71')

Esperance de Tunis (1) 3 (Belaili 6' penalty, Coulibaly 47', Yacoubi 74')

CS Constantine: Rahmani (Osmani 77'); Bencherifa, Salhi, Benayada, Zaalani, Chahrour, Yattou, Dylan Bahamboula (Abid 62'), Hadded, Belkheir, Djabout (Belmokhtar 72').

Esperance de Tunis: Ben Cherifia; Dhaouadi, Yacoubi, Kom, Ben Mohamed, Coulibaly, Chalali, Meskini, Belaili (Elhouni 59'), Badri (Bguir 90+3'), Khenissi (Jouini 75').