Esperance’s CAF Champions League Opener Fizzles in Goalless Stalemate

Match context and lineup

Espérance de Tunis, four-time African champions and Tunisia’s sole representative in the continental club competitions this season, opened their CAF Champions League 2025-26 campaign with a disappointing goalless draw against Stade Malien at the Olympic Hammadi Agrebi Stadium in Radès.

The match finished without goals as the home side controlled the rhythm but could not unlock the Malian defense, despite a flurry of chances that should have yielded the opening three points in the group.

Gaps and wasted chances

The draw reflected a sense of frustration among Tunisian supporters, as forwards Abdelrahman Konati and Florian Danho squandered two clear opportunities with the goal almost empty.

The starting XI for a 4-3-3 formation was as follows: goalkeeper Beshir Ben Said; defenders Mohamed Ben Ali, Yassin Meriah, Mohamed Ameen Ben Hamida, Hamza Jlaâsi; midfielders Onuuchi Ogbijo, Houssam Taqa, Shihab Jabali; and attackers Kassila Boualia, Abdelrahman Konati, Florian Danho.

There was a symbolic moment as the Esperance players wore a special shirt in solidarity with teammate Youssef Belaili, who was sidelined by a serious knee injury.

The first half featured calm, with ball possession largely neutral and few clear-cut threats on the goalkeepers’ cages.

The Malian side sat in compact blocks, relying on quick counter-attacks and trying to exploit gaps left by the advancing Tunisian full-backs, yet Esperance’s defense held firm to preserve the clean sheet.

Continued resilience in defense

Despite dominating territory and attempts to break the deadlock, Esperance could not carve out a decisive moment, and Stade Malien’s organized rear guard kept the score at 0-0 in the opening group stage clash.

The absence of Algerian star Youssef Belaili due to a ligament tear aggravated the challenge, with the forward traveling to Qatar for treatment and an expected long-term spell on the sidelines.

In a twist, Esperance later announced the return of Youssef Msakni after a 12-year absence, signing him on a free transfer following his departure from Al-Arabi. The club posted a video teaser titled “The Return of the Artist, Let the Show Begin.” Details of the contract for a season and a half were not disclosed.

Msakni is among the players who helped Esperance lift the CAF Champions League in 2011 and win multiple Tunisian league titles during his previous spells with the club.

Rumors and a video chat between Belaili and Msakni surfaced, with Belaili welcoming the new/old teammate and wishing him success in the squad.

Rades debate and facility concerns

Off the pitch, pre-match chatter focused on the surrounding conditions at Radès, with fans circulating a video showing a herd of pigs near stadium gates—a sharp reminder of broader concerns about the state of sports facilities in the country and ongoing maintenance issues around Tunisian venues.

Analysts noted that Radès and other Tunisian venues require modernization, and the closure of the nearby Monarch Stadium has added pressure on the club to deliver results in Africa’s premier club competition.

With Esperance remaining the sole Tunisian representative in the CAF competitions after other local clubs were eliminated, expectations remained high for a strong campaign and a positive response in the next fixtures.

Next up, Esperance will face Petro Atlético away on Saturday, aiming to collect three points and rectify the early-season wobble in the group standings.

Injury and comeback notes

The Belaili injury dominated headlines, with doctors confirming an ACL tear and surgical plan after the AFCON-equivalent clash with Club Africain earlier in November. The Tunisian club confirmed Belaili’s medical travel and an extended absence, while Msakni’s reprieve offered a rare glimmer of optimism for supporters.

Meanwhile, the club teased a major reinvigoration with Msakni’s return, a veteran who had been productive during his earlier spell and who could introduce experience and creativity to the frontline.

And as the dust settled on the match, the talk circled back to how Esperance might unlock a stubborn Malian defense and whether the stadiums and facilities around Radès will keep pace with the club’s ambitions.

Fans left the stadium reminding themselves that football is a sport of inches, not meters, and that sometimes better defense is not enough when a team’s confidence is just shy of a breakthrough. If you’re into this game, mark your calendar for the Petro Atlético rematch and keep your sense of humor handy—because football has a way of turning even a 0-0 into a conversation piece and a social media saga. Punchlines: 1) If defense were a sniper, that Malian wall would have earned a medal today. 2) Esperance brought a stadium full of fans; the goalposts simply opted for a long coffee break.