Espérance de Tunis moved to the top of the Tunisian Ligue 1 standings after defeating Olympique Béja 3-1.

Espérance de Tunis emerged as the biggest beneficiaries of the fifth round of the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1, climbing to the top of the standings after defeating Olympique Béja 3-1. The Red and Yellow capitalised on Club Africain’s dramatic loss to US Ben Guerdane, while CS Sfaxien and Étoile du Sahel also suffered defeats during a round filled with significant results.

Espérance’s victory was powered by Hazem Mastouri, who scored all three goals for the league leaders. His treble began with an effort in the second minute, continued with another strike in the 13th and was completed in the 47th minute. Hamza Mabrouk scored for Olympique Béja, but the visitors could not prevent the Red and Yellow from collecting maximum points.

With the win, Espérance reached 12 points from five matches and established themselves as the outright leaders.

Club Africain missed the opportunity to keep pace after losing 2-1 away to US Ben Guerdane. Danel Oboh opened the scoring for the hosts in the 18th minute, but Oussama Cherimi restored parity for Club Africain. The decisive moment arrived in the sixth minute of stoppage time when Wael Salhi struck to give Ben Guerdane a dramatic victory.

The win took Ben Guerdane to 11 points, keeping them unbeaten and just one point behind Espérance.

Another title contender, CS Sfaxien, returned empty-handed from their trip to Progrès Sakiet Eddaïer. Mohamed Ali Omri scored in the 30th minute to secure a 1-0 victory for Sakiet Eddaïer, who registered their third win of the season and remained unbeaten through five rounds.

US Monastir also maintained their unbeaten record after playing out a 0-0 draw with CA Bizertin. Neither team managed to break the deadlock, leaving the points shared between the two sides.

Étoile du Sahel were unable to produce a response at home against CS Hammam-Lif, losing 1-0 after Chiheb Ben Fraj scored the winning goal early in the match.

Stade Tunisien enjoyed a more positive outing, recovering from a first-half deficit to defeat ES Métlaoui 2-1. Fakhreddine Ben Youssef brought the visitors back into the contest before Amadou Dia Ndiaye converted a penalty deep into stoppage time to secure the win.

In the other fixtures, Espérance de Zarzis claimed a 2-0 victory over ES Hammam-Sousse, while JS El Omrane and AS Marsa finished without a goal in a 0-0 draw.

The fifth round has left Espérance de Tunis in the driving seat with 12 points, but Ben Guerdane’s strong start means the leaders have little room for complacency. Meanwhile, Club Africain’s loss ended their reported 26-match unbeaten sequence, and defeats for CS Sfaxien and Étoile du Sahel highlighted the challenges facing some of the league’s established sides.

RESULTS

- Espérance de Tunis 3–1 Olympique Béja

- US Ben Guerdane 2–1 Club Africain

- Progrès Sakiet Eddaïer 1–0 CS Sfaxien

- CA Bizertin 0–0 US Monastir

- JS El Omrane 0–0 AS Marsa

- Étoile du Sahel 0–1 CS Hammam-Lif

- ES Métlaoui 1–2 Stade Tunisien

- Espérance de Zarzis 2–0 ES Hammam-Sousse