Arab Champions League 2007-2008 : ES Sétif championne des champions arabes

[Al-khiyal]

ES Setif clinch Arab Champions League title

May 25, 2008 -- Entente Sportive de Sétif may have lost to JS Kabylie in their quest to capture the Algerian league title, but the Black Eagles were fired up for a different goal on Thursday (May 22nd). Fans packed Blida's Tchaker Stadium to capacity, hoping to watch ES Setif defeat Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca and capture the Arab Champions League title for the second straight year.

They got their wish.

The encouraging outcome of the first leg of the final in Morocco gave ESS more confidence than their opponents, who needed to overturn a one-goal deficit if they were to take the crown. This psychological advantage translated into domination of the pitch throughout the match.

The only goal was scored in the 29th minute by Abdelmalek Ziaya, courtesy of a pass from captain Hadj Aissa. The terraces then resounded with vocal and enthusiastic support for the Black Eagles, who kept up the pressure on their opponents in the hope of taking enough of a lead to prevent a reversal of the situation. The Moroccans mounted some worrying counter-attacks, with strikers Mostapha Bidodane and Achmed Talbi proving particularly dangerous.

WAC's French-Argentine coach Oscar Fullone appeared to have told his squad to keep the whole of the pitch covered between them. They succeeded in putting the ball in the back of Setif's net on two occasions, but both goals were disallowed by the referee for off-side. With captain Hadj Aissa in superb form and again proving he deserves his reputation as an unsurpassed technician, the Algerians played a very well-organised game.

Setif maintained their hold on the match during the second half, spurred on by a passionate crowd who set off smoke devices and sang the Eagles' praises.

The final fifteen minutes were difficult for Setif as the Reds found a new lease of life and showed their determination to push back, particularly through the efforts of Talbi and Khalid Sekkat.

The final whistle, blown by Kuwaiti referee Saad Kamil, brought the fans' suspense to an end and spurred them to go out onto the streets of Blida to celebrate their team's victory.

"We played a solid technical and tactical game, and the fact that we scored a goal during the first half shows that we went on the attack and didn’t settle for a defensive game," delighted Setif coach Bernard Simondi said after the match.

"We made it difficult for them right from the beginning of the match by making them play the long game. We later had a few more scoring opportunities and I think we deserved to win," he added.

With their victory Thursday, ES Setif became the first team to successfully defend an Arab Champions League title. The Algerian squad beat Jordan's Al-Faisaly last year in Amman.

Both teams received accolades from sports fans for making it to the end. They were also rewarded; the winners collected $1.5 million and runners-up Wydad pocketed $1 million.

[Al-khiyal]

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