Beaumelle Defiant As Esperance Look To Overturn Deficit In Pretoria

ES Tunis head coach Patrice Beaumelle remains optimistic ahead of Saturday’s decisive CAF Champions League semi-final second leg, expressing full confidence in his squad despite their first-leg setback.

The Tunisian giants face a steep uphill battle in Pretoria after suffering a 1-0 defeat in Tunis last weekend. Sundowns demonstrated immense maturity in the opening leg, with Brayan Onyango scoring the decisive second-half goal.

The South Africans managed to see out the result even after defender Grant Kekana received a red card, leaving them with 10 men for the closing stages.

However, Beaumelle—the former Ivory Coast coach—highlighted the positive atmosphere within his camp following a productive week of training.

“It was a long trip to come here, but we are glad to be here. It’s always a pleasure to be in South Africa,” he told CAFOnline.

“This is the second part of the tie — the second leg here in Pretoria — so the spirit is good.”

Despite falling short in the first encounter, Beaumelle believes his side delivered a strong performance that provides a solid foundation heading into the return leg.

“We trained the whole week in a good atmosphere because, despite the loss, I think we played a very good game in the first leg.

“Tomorrow [Saturday], we have to score if we want to stay alive, so it will be a very exciting game,” he said.

With both teams fully aware of what is at stake, Saturday’s clash in Pretoria is set to be a compelling contest as Esperance look to overturn the deficit and keep their continental ambitions alive.

The winner will face either AS FAR or RS Berkane in the final, with AS FAR holding a 2–0 advantage after the first leg.