Espérance Sportive de Tunis secured their place in the quarter-finals of the Tunisian Cup after producing an impressive 3-1 victory over Étoile Sportive de Métlaoui in their round-of-16 encounter on Sunday evening.
The Tunisian giants delivered a strong attacking display and settled the contest with three goals before their opponents managed a late response, continuing their pursuit of another domestic trophy this season.
Esperance made an aggressive start and quickly took control of the match within the opening moments.
Houssem Tekka opened the scoring after connecting with a precise delivery from Jacques Diarra, giving the home side an early advantage that immediately unsettled the Metlaoui defence.
The early goal allowed Esperance to dictate the tempo of the game, with the team continuing to dominate possession and create opportunities throughout the first half.
Despite pressure from the visitors at times, Esperance maintained control and eventually doubled their lead in the second half.
Diarra once again played a decisive role by providing the assist for the second goal, which was scored by Achraf Jabri in the 58th minute.
The Tunis club continued to attack relentlessly and extended their advantage only two minutes later through Kessila Boualia.
Boualia produced one of the standout moments of the match with a powerful strike from outside the penalty area to make it 3-0 and effectively place the result beyond doubt.
Étoile Sportive de Métlaoui managed to pull one goal back in the 68th minute through Raed Al-Fadaa, but the goal proved to be little more than consolation as Esperance comfortably saw out the remainder of the match.
The result confirmed Esperance’s progression into the final eight of the competition, where several other clubs have also secured qualification following the conclusion of the round-of-16 fixtures.
The teams joining Esperance in the quarter-finals are Club Sportif Sfaxien, Stade Gabésien, Club Athlétique Bizertin, Espérance Sportive de Zarzis, Jeunesse Sportive d’El Omrane, Progress Sakiet Eddaier and Baath Bouhajla.
Attention now turns to the quarter-final schedule, with supporters anticipating a series of highly competitive fixtures across two days of action.
Esperance face what could be a difficult away assignment against Baath Bouhajla on Thursday, with the match scheduled to begin at 15:30 local Tunisian time.
The remaining quarter-final ties will also take place across May 20 and 21.
On Wednesday, Club Sportif Sfaxien will meet Stade Gabésien, while Espérance Sportive de Zarzis face Club Athlétique Bizertin.
Thursday’s programme includes Baath Bouhajla against Esperance and a clash between Progress Sakiet Eddaier and Jeunesse Sportive d’El Omrane.
With several traditional clubs still in contention, the race for the Tunisian Cup title is expected to intensify in the coming days as the competition enters its decisive stages.
