Yousef Belaili’s 70th-minute strike was the difference as Espérance Sportive de Tunis edged LAFC 1-0 on Friday night in the FIFA Club World Cup, knocking the MLS side out of the competition and keeping their own hopes alive.
The decisive moment came after a lively contest when Belaili fired a right-footed shot from the left side of the box, threading the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and into the bottom left corner.
Despite one last opportunity to salvage a draw deep into stoppage time, LAFC couldn’t find the net.
Dénis Bouanaga stepped up for a penalty in the 99th minute, but Béchir Ben Säid guessed correctly and made a crucial save to preserve the lead.
A crowd of 13,651 spectators, including Hollywood couple Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, watched the match unfold at the 30,000-capacity GEODIS Park on a humid evening.
LAFC found the net twice in the first half, but both efforts were disallowed for offside. Their failure to convert chances across two group games meant they exited the tournament without scoring a single goal.
“Overall, I didn’t think we played well enough tonight to win,” admitted LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo after the final whistle.
Espérance coach Maher Kanzari, whose side now faces Chelsea on Tuesday for a chance to finish second in Group D and progress to the round of 16, said, “Gave us the feeling that we can keep playing.”
