Despite suffering a heavy defeat in Rades, Espérance assistant manager Nader Daoud remains optimistic about his team’s chances of reaching the CAF Champions League final.
Al Ahly took a significant step towards their fourth successive CAF Champions League final with a commanding 3-0 victory over Espérance de Tunis in the first leg at Rades Stadium.
Percy Tau opened the scoring for Al Ahly after just eight minutes, and then doubled their lead in the 55th minute, securing a semi-final brace for the second consecutive year.
In the 75th minute, Kahraba sealed the emphatic win by tapping in Hussein El-Shahat’s cross from close range.
Espérance now face the daunting task of winning by a three-goal margin in Cairo, but Nader Daoud remains hopeful of their chances to make it to the final.
In an interview with Tunisian website Foot24, the assistant coach stated, “The hope of Espérance advancing to the final is still alive despite the challenging task in Cairo.”
Daoud also acknowledged that fatigue played a significant role in the team’s performance decline and took responsibility for the defeat, saying, “The coaching staff bears responsibility for the loss.”