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| TP Mazembe © Backpagepix |
Tout Puissant Mazembe of Democratic Republic of Congo bridged a 41-year gap on Saturday by regaining the African Champions League title.
But it was a close call before a sell-out 35,000 crowd in
Lubumbashi with Mazembe defeating Heartland of Nigeria 1-0 to
collect the record $1.5 million first prize on away goals.
It was the first time in the 44-year history of the premier
African Football Confederation club competition that the away-goal
rule was needed to decide the outcome of a final.
Heartland took a 2-1 lead into the second leg of the final and
held out for 74 minutes before Victor Ezuruike conceded an own goal
to bring the trophy back to southern Congo.
Mazembe won the fledgling African championship in 1967 and 1968
and this year they budgeted five million dollars to try and lift a
trophy that symbolises continental club supremacy.
Part of the money was spent on importing 59-year-old French
coach Diego Garzitto and his pre-match prediction that the crowd
packed into the Kenya Stadium would drive the Congolese 'Crows' to
success came true.
Apart from the financial windfall, Mazembe qualify for the
end-of-year Fifa Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates with
Spanish giants Barcelona among possible opponents.
The home team dominated possession in both halves against
ultra-cautious Heartland, who suffered a huge blow on 55 minutes
when outstanding goalkeeper Austin Brown retired injured.
Ikechukwu Ezenwa took his place and thwarted the rampant
Congolese several times before Ezuruike headed into his own net as
the pressure on the Nigerian defence became unbearable.
Heartland frustrations boiled over in stoppage time when star
striker Emeka Nwanna - on the wanted list of Egyptian club Ismailia
- was shown a red card by the Algerian referee for a dangerous
tackle.
The expulsion followed first-half cautions for Ezuruike and Orji
Okagbue as the 1988 runners-up resorted to desperate measures while
Mazembe sought the goal that would bring the cup back to the copper
mining city.
ThankGod Ike was a hero for the visitors, marking Mazembe
first-leg scorer Mabi Mputu tightly and raising hopes that
Heartland could become the second champions from Nigeria after 2003
and 2004 winners Enyimba.
Mazembe defeated Petro Atletico of Angola and Al-Ittihad
Khemisset of Morocco in qualifiers, Heartland, Monomotapa of
Zimbabwe and Etoile Sahel of Tunisia to win Group B, and Al-Hilal
of Sudan in the semifinals.
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