Humbled Thabet vows Esperance resurgence after Hilal ambush

A stunned Tarek Thabet congratulated Al Hilal before ruing his Esperance side’s off-night as the Sudanese club claimed a famous 3-1 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League victory on Friday.

First-half strikes condemned Thabet’s decorated Tunisians to a shock Group C loss on neutral territory in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The experienced coach took the surprise setback squarely on the chin, praising spirited opponents Hilal for capitalising on Esperance’s shortcomings.

"I first want to congratulate Al Hilal - they surprised us as our game plan failed to work as planned," Thabet gracefully stated post-match.

However, the 52-year-old reminded that with all four teams likely to be locked on three points if Etoile du Sahel win against Petro Atletico on Saturday, the section remains wide open.

"We failed together but the group is still open. I'll analyse our mistakes then we can bounce back next game which I'm still optimistic about," continued Thabet.

The demanding schedule and extensive travel also proved testing for Thabet's side according to the Tunisian.

"It wasn't easy with players fatigued from the long flight from Tunisia. But we'll make amends next time out," he added.

Having impressively won the Champions League in 2018 and 2019, Esperance are no strangers to continental setbacks.

But rarely have Thabet's seasoned troops been so outplayed since he took charge and bouncing back swiftly from this Hilal hiccup now represents the coach's most pressing priority.

With belief still intact, Thabet feels Esperance boast sufficient pedigree to quickly rebound in Group C.