ESPERANCE of Tunisia beat Wydad Casablanca from Morocco 1-0 on Saturday inside the November 12 Stadium in Rades, near Tunis, to win this year's Caf Champions League.A week ago, the first leg final in Casablanca had ended in a goalless draw for Esperance to be crowned champions on a 1-0 aggregate.A 22nd minute well-struck effort by Ghanaian defender Harrison Afful handed 'The Blood and Gold' their second African championship having first won it in 1994.Esperance will thus pocket a cash prize of $1.5 million and will represent Africa at next month's Fifa Club World Cup in Japan.Both teams gave as much as they got in the opening minutes of this match ' their fourth such meeting in this year's competition as they also clashed twice in the group phase.Esperance attacked from the first whistle as expected, but the Moroccans were well organised in their defence to give cover for 20-year-old Yassine Bouno, who replaced injured skipper Lemyaghri Nadir.There was nothing really to choose between the two teams before a long ball located Afful on the right flank, the petite Ghanaian cut inside into the Wydad goal area before he delivered a sweet left-footed strike which evaded a diving Bouno for what would eventually prove the championship winner.Esperance would have doubled their lead soon after but skipper Oussama Darragi, who started after battling with injury in previous games, failed to make hay when he was set up inside the box by the lively Afful.Congolese striker Fabrice Ondama could have drawn his team level on 32 minutes when clear on goal, but his shot was saved by the foot of Esperance goalkeeper Moez Ben Cherifia.However, the defining moment of this match could well be the sending off of Wydad defender Mourad Lamsen in first half stoppage time for an elbow on big Cameroonian striker Yannick Ndjeng.That dismissal seemed to take the wind out of the sails of the Moroccans.But to their big credit Wydad fought like wounded lions after the interval.Ondama forced Esperance goalkeeper Ben Cherifia to spill a cross from the left wing as Wydad enjoyed more of the ball, but hardly threatened the goal of the host team.Instead, Ndjeng was denied with a brilliant save by Bouno off his feet in the 77th minute. Had the Cameroonian hit target it could well have meant the end for the visitors by that time.Wydad fought hard but with Walid Hicheri and Cameroon youth international Yaya Banana posting big performances back in defence, there was only going to be one winner at the end of the day.
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