Al Ittihad's hopes for qualifying for the group stage of the African Champions League were dashed on Sunday after losing to the Tunisian Esperance 1-0 in the second leg match, with the first leg ending with a goalless draw.
Despite the Esperance win, the Libyan defence kept their hosts frustrated, who struggled to create goal-scoring chances throughout the first half.
After the break, Esperance pressed hard for a goal until the try-scoring deadlock was finally broken by a corner kick which Nassim Ben Khalifa turned into a goal in the 64th minute.
In the 74th minute, the referee issued a red card for Al-Ittihad keeper Moaz Al-Lafi after his violent intervention on Tunisian Hamdo Al-Huni, who left the field due to his injury.
The Tunisian Esperance tried to extend their lead with Al Ittihad's net left without a keeper, but all attempts ended in failure.
With this loss, Al-Ittihad will leave the African Champions League and move to the 32nd round of the African Confederation Cup, which will be drawn next Tuesday.
