ES Tunis: "The disallowed goal had a psychological impact on my players," Kanzari

ES Tunis was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the CAF Champions League by South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns after the second leg ended in a goalless draw. Coach Maher Kanzari attributed this defeat partly to a disallowed goal which, according to him, unsettled his players.

A controversial goal that changes the game

During the second leg at the Radès stadium, a goal scored by EST in the 68th minute was annulled by the referee for an offside position. This decision was not at all well-received by the Tunisian players and technical staff. Coach Maher Kanzari expressed his frustration in a press conference.

"We had a rather decent first half. The best moment of the match was the start of the second half, which was actually materialized by Achraf Jabri's goal. Unfortunately, the goal was disallowed for offside, which had a psychological impact on my players, and we couldn't overcome it. Offside or not, I think the Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper deserved a red card for the serious foul he committed on our striker," declared the ES Tunis coach.

The 52-year-old acknowledges, however, that his team missed chances to level the score and turn the tide against the Brazilians of Mamelodi Sundowns FC.

"There were at least two chances that came our way and could have changed the outcome, the first by Tougaï and the second by Rodrigues. If one of these chances had been taken, we would have equalized, which would have given the match a different complexion," shared Maher Kanzari.

Lydiane N'Po |

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Sports journalist specializing in African football, covering football news, exclusive stories and digital content for passionate fans of the game.