Reda Bendriss Blames Fatigue For Setif’s Goalless Draw With Esperance

Reda Bendriss has admitted his charges ran out of steam as ES Setif were held to a frustrating home draw against Esperance de Tunis.

A frustrating night saw a much-changed Setif side struggle to find any meaningful attacking fluidity against Esperance, who will have delighted the Blood and Gold gaffer Radi Jaidi with an impressive rearguard display.

And Bendriss suggested that it was the nature of the fixture list that that conspired most against his team at the Stade du 5 Juillet, with Setif coming into the game on the back off a hard-fought 2-1 win over MC Alger in midweek.

“We missed the victory against a good team from the Esperance. The sequence of matches left its mark on the physical form of the players but we still ensured at least a draw before the return leg,” he told CAFOnline.

However, the former Algerian international insisted his side were capable of rising to the challenge of firing on all fronts and hitting top form once again.

“We now have to keep working until the end of April. It is a tough time ahead,” he added.

One of Setif ‘s best chances of the game fell to Abdelrahim Deghmoum midway through the first half, and he echoed the frustration expressed by his boss after the game.

ES Setif will now travel to Tunisia for the return game is scheduled for Saturday 23 April at Stade Olympique de Rades.