BEN AROUS, Tunisia (Interstat) — Sporting Ben Arous defeated Megrine 1-0 on Monday at Stade de Ben Arous, scoring in the 77th minute and protecting the narrow lead after a red card left the home side with 10 men. Lazez H. supplied the only goal of the match, breaking a scoreless deadlock and handing Sporting Ben Arous a home result in the competition. Megrine was held without a goal.

The match remained scoreless through the first half and into the second as both sides struggled to find a finishing touch in the final third. Sporting Ben Arous and Megrine traded stretches of possession without producing a breakthrough, and the contest stayed level as the closing hour approached. The game changed in the 69th minute when Sporting Ben Arous was reduced to 10 men after Zitouni C. was shown a red card.

The dismissal forced the home side to adjust for the closing stretch, but Megrine could not turn the man advantage into a goal. Sporting Ben Arous remained organized after the sending-off and found the decisive moment eight minutes later. The home side’s defensive work after the red card kept Megrine from finding an equalizer, and the visitors were left to chase the game.

The goal arrived in the 77th minute when Lazez H. scored for Sporting Ben Arous. Megrine was unable to answer over the remaining minutes, and the home side held on for the victory. Megrine finished the match without a goal, while Sporting Ben Arous made its single goal stand as the difference. The match had remained scoreless into the second half before the red card and the late breakthrough changed the shape of the closing minutes.

Megrine’s season record in this competition is now 3 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw. Sporting Ben Arous’s season record in this competition is now 2 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws. Megrine’s season record across all competitions stands at 3 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw, while Sporting Ben Arous’s season record across all competitions is 2 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws. The result marked Megrine’s first loss in this competition and gave Sporting Ben Arous its second win.

Megrine entered the match after a 2-0 home win over Stade Soussien, a 3-2 win at Soliman, a 1-1 home draw against ES Beni-Khalled and a 2-1 win at AS Gabes. Sporting Ben Arous entered after a 0-0 draw at BS Bouhajla, a 2-2 home draw against US Tataouine, a 3-0 win at AS Agareb and a 1-2 home loss to EM Mahdia. The sides met at Stade de Ben Arous in Ben Arous, with the home team converting one of the match’s defining chances after the red card.

Megrine had been unbeaten in its previous four matches in this competition before the trip to Ben Arous. Sporting Ben Arous had mixed results over its opening four matches, with two draws, one win and one loss before Monday’s fixture. The home side added another win to that run while Megrine absorbed its first defeat. Megrine pushed numbers forward in search of a response after falling behind, but Sporting Ben Arous held its shape through the final minutes.

Sporting Ben Arous’s victory came after Megrine had been projected as the favorite. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Sporting Ben Arous 1, Megrine 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Megrine with a 57.3 percent probability to win. The total score of 1 went over the over/under line of 2.5.