Étoile du Sahel 7 (!!!) – 0 CS Hammam-Lif
By: Houssem | April 24th, 2009
Well, that was a nice thrashing. A hat trick by Bukhari, and goals by Abdennour, Gharbi, Opara and Berradhia, which you can enjoy here. As amazing this victory was, it’s completely useless, since the antepenultimate matchday of the Tunisian LP1 saw Espérance and Club Africain win against La Marsa and Stade Tunisien, thus completely removing us from the title race.
Gernot Rohr must look pretty stupid now. Changing to a more attacking approach for once got us 7 goals against the same team that held off Espérance to a 2-2 draw and beat Club Africain 3-1. Meriah was left out (much to my liking), making way for the more ambitious Mosrati. Slim Jedaied was on a good day, and I’m sure there’s more to expect from this youngster if he is given a proper chance.
The lesson we can take is that Étoile always has been an attacking team. Playing with 3 defensive midfielders never was our way of doing things. It’s become clear now that Gernot Rohr didn’t quite realize how much potential this squad has once you make a good use of the talent. But his odd choices and far too prudent approach will be the main regret of this season. I hope we can get rid of him after the return leg against Al Ahly of Tripoli, and put somebody with a strong personality and a better knowledge of the tunisian and african football scenes in charge.
Whereas the title is out of reach for Étoile, the second spot – which would take us to the Africain Champions League – is still up for grabs. It would require a victory in Tunis and a Club Africain defeat to the now almost certainly relegated Jendouba Sports. In other words, it’s even more difficult than winning the league was 2 weeks ago. But this is football, and you never know what could happen. One thing is certain : We’re not letting Espérance have it !
Category: Match Previews
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Good article, Houssem! The result of this game is not completely useless; it may actually be indicative of a new beginning for l’Etoile! Let’s hope so. Our dear team should now focus on the CAF Champions League, and on going as far as possible, including being the African champion again. Let’s leave the Tunisian Championship to those who appear to often benefit from the impartiality of referees and the usual penalty kicks! Is it an accident that those teams often suck in African competitions? The numbers don’t lie! It appears that for l’Etoile or CSS to be champions in Tunisia, they have to be exceptioanally good. Yet, these two teams often shine in African competitions. So, something is clearly not right. Although I don’t think CA should be the Champion of Tunisia this year (or last year for that matter, given the many irregularities), I am hoping l’Etoile beats Esperance in the last game of the season. They may still be champions, but at least we would have made our point! We should focus on our team L’Etoile and its future. Despite what has been said, I am still very supportive of the current administrative structure, although I hope Rohr gets replaced with a Tunisian coach who can make use of that rich pool of talented players! I hope we get to beat Ahly Tripoli and make it to the Group Phase in a big way!
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