Ten-man Esperance failed to fulfill an almost impossible task as they could only draw 1-1 at home to Mazembe to give the DR Congo side their second consecutive Champions League title on Saturday. The Tunisian outfit needed to overturn a huge 5-0 deficit from the first leg but their carefree attacking approach gave Mazembe the chance to hit them on the break. Esperance boosted their little hope of causing a huge upset when Ghanaian full-back Harrison Afful broke the deadlock on 24 minutes with a close-range effort. However, the hosts' cause was not helped by the dismissal of defender Aymen Ben Amor, who was shown a straight red card for apparently slapping an opponent right after Eneramo put Esperance in front. Mazembe squandered a handful of clear-cut chances in the second period after exploiting the gaps in Esperance's defense and killed off the game as a contest when Deo Kanda notched the equalizer eight minutes past the hour mark. The 6-1 aggregate win handed Mazembe their fourth African Cup title and a place in the FIFA Club World Cup, which will take place next month in Abu Dhabi, for the second successive season. Wasteful Eneramo Michael Eneramo wasted two opportunities to give Esperance, who won Africa's premier club competition once in 1994, an early lead.
Mazembe keeper superbly pushed the combative striker's toe-poked effort onto the post on the quarter-hour mark. Eneramo fired wide with the goal at his mercy five minutes later but Afful made amends in the 24th minute. Captain Oussama Darragi's attempt to convert a flick was blocked by a Mazembe defender but the onrushing Afful rifled the loose ball home. Esperance could not build on the goal and were dearly affected after Ben Amor was sent off for a needless confrontation with an opponent to further worsen the situation for the hosts. Mazembe launched a wave of attacks in the second period and were awarded in the 68th minute after Deo Kanda rounded off a breakaway. He overcame his challenger far too easily to break clear and slot home with aplomb as Mazembe lifted the prestigious African trophy. The goals
