TP Mazembe are on the verge of winning the African Champions League for the second consecutive season after thumping 10-man Esperance 5-0 in the first leg of the final on Sunday. A highly controversial first half saw Mazembe of DR Congo secure a 2-0 lead via goals from Kasongo Ngandu and Dioko Kaluyituka. The hosts went ahead after 17 minutes when the ball appeared to have crossed the line after Esperance keeper Wassim Naouara gathered a close-range header from Ngandu. Togolese referee Kokou Djaoupe allowed the goal to stand to spark furious protests from Esperance players. More controversy was to follow as Djaoupe sent off Mohamed Ben Mansour seven minutes later for no apparent reason. Television replays were inconclusive as to why the referee handed a straight red card for the defender. Mazembe doubled their lead on the stroke of halftime when Kaluyituka converted a highly debatable penalty. The misery of Tunisia's Esperance was compounded in the second half after Mazembe opened the floodgates. Zambian striker Given Singuluma exploited the gaps in Esperance defense early in the second half to score two goals in quick succession and deal a serious blow to the visitors' hopes of claiming their second African Cup title. Ngandu notched his second of the night with a fine header in the 75th minute to complete the rout as Mazembe enjoyed a remarkable night. Mazembe equaled their own record of securing a 5-0 first-leg advantage in the final, having beaten Burkina Faso's Etoile Filante by the same scoreline in 1968. The match is likely to land the Confederation of African Football (CAF) into more troubles as a result of more refereeing blunders. Ahli defeated Esperance 2-1 in the first leg of the semi final after a clear handball by Mohamed Fadl gave the Egyptian champions the edge. Esperance managed to reach the final after a blatant handball by Nigerian striker Michael Eneramo, who was a peripheral figure against Mazembe, gave them a 1-0 home victory in the second leg to go through on the away-goal rule.
