Esperance sweep AS FAN aside to advance in TotalEnergies CAF Champions League
Espérance de Tunis cruised into the second Preliminary Round of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League with a 4–1 win over AS FAN of Niger in Radès on Saturday, sealing a 7–1 aggregate success.
Youcef Belaïli set the tone on 19 minutes, sweeping home to put the Tunisians in front on the night after their 3–0 first-leg victory.
AS FAN briefly threatened a comeback when Emmanuel Addae levelled on 33 minutes, but Brazilian midfielder Yan Sasse restored Espérance’s lead before the break with a composed finish.
Ibrahim Keita stretched the advantage midway through the second half, turning in the third after sustained pressure.
A stoppage-time penalty converted by Yassine Meriah added late gloss as the four-time African champions closed out a dominant display at the Stade Olympique de Radès.
The victory sends Espérance into the Second Preliminary Round with momentum, their attack firing and defence largely untroubled across the two legs.
AS FAN exit at the first hurdle, undone by Espérance’s superior tempo and ruthlessness in both boxes.
The Tunisian giants now await their next opponents as they look to book a place in the group phase and mount another push for continental honours.
Meanwhile, MC Alger, FAR Rabat and Stade Malien all advanced with authoritative home wins to book their places in the second preliminary round – leaving each club one tie from the group stage.
MC Alger 3–0 Fassell (Agg: 3–0)
After a goalless first leg in Monrovia, MC Alger imposed themselves early in Algiers. Abdellaoui broke the deadlock on 19 minutes before forward Soufiane Bayazid doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time. A late third in added time sealed a 3–0 win on the night and across the tie, rewarding MCA’s control of territory and tempo and ending Liberian side Fassell’s campaign.
FAR Rabat 2–1 Real Banjul (Agg: 4–1)
FAR finished the job efficiently in Rabat. To Carneiro converted on 18 minutes and Rachid Slim made it 2–0 from the spot 11 minutes after the interval. Real Banjul pulled one back with 12 minutes left, but the Moroccan champions were rarely troubled and progressed 4–1 on aggregate after their 2–0 success in Banjul last week.
Stade Malien 2–0 Tempête MOCAF (Agg: 7–0)
Stade Malien completed one of the round’s most emphatic aggregate wins. Oumar Coulibaly’s first-half strike set the tone in Bamako and a stoppage-time second underlined the gulf that had already been established by a 5–0 first-leg triumph in Bangui. The Malian giants advance 7–0 overall, with three clean sheets in qualifying so far.
Berkane 3–1 ASC Kara (Agg: 4–2)
Berkane ended the day's matches after defeating Togolese champions ASC Kara 3-1 thanks to a first half brace by Oussama Lamlioui. Ayoub Khairi scored the other goal with Marouf Tagba scoring the consolation for the visitors. The victory secured a 4-2 aggregate win for the Moroccan side to progress to the next round.
What the results mean
All aggregate winners move into the second preliminary round, where a further two-legged tie will decide who reaches the CAF Champions League group phase. Berkane, MC Alger, FAR Rabat and Stade Malien carry momentum – each side unbeaten and defensively sound – as the field tightens and continental stakes rise.