UNAF Cup Winners Cup & Champions Cup

[Al-khiyal]

CS Sfaxien seize UNAF Winners' Cup

December 21, 2009 -- Tunisian club CS Sfaxien came away with the UNAF Winners' Cup on Sunday (December 20th) after a goalless draw with visitors Ahly Benghazi of Libya. CS Sfaxien garnered $150,000 as a result of the match in the second round of the championship finals, which was decided in their favour thanks to the away-goal rule. "The match was tough, because we played it with a lot of tension in the air," CS Sfaxien assistant coach Mahmoud Masmoudi said after the clash. "Even though we didn't manage to score any goals, we still won the title." A 1-1 draw last Friday in Libya gave the Sfaxiens the upper hand going into the return leg. The match itself was marked by friction, with two players exiting with red cards and a flurry of yellow cards waved at both sides. There was little movement on the pitch, as CS Sfaxien only needed to draw to take the Winners' Cup. The match began at a slow clip. CS Sfaxien gradually began to dominate under the leadership of midfielder Haitham Mrabet, whose skills earned him recognition as "Man of the Match". Given the scarcity of offensive efforts, strikers needed to create individual scoring opportunities. Kamel Zaiem sent a strong shot at the goal in the 27th minute, but Ahly Benghazi goalkeeper Ifeanyi Frederick Onuigbo kept the score even by clearing it to a corner. In the second half, CS Sfaxien attempted to capitalise on Ahly Benghazi's strategy of defensive play, but failed to convert this strategy into a goal. CS Sfaxien striker Dominique Da Silva threatened in the 57th, but his shot hit the post and rebounded to striker Hamza Younes, who also failed to score. Both teams were forced to finish with 10 players each, after Ahly Benghazi goalkeeper Onuigbo and CS Sfaxien defender Amine Abbes earned red cards in the 87th minute. "We deserved to win the title, especially as we were leading in the first-leg match," said CS Sfaxien head coach Luka Peruzovic. Sfaxien player Hamdi Rouid said he hoped the victory would bode well for Tunisian football in the upcoming African Cup of Nations. "I also hope this win will be an incentive for us to win and make progress in the national championship," the defender said after the match.

[Al-khiyal]

ES Sétif crowned UNAF champions

December 21, 2009 -- Thousands of Esperance de Tunis fans showed up at Radès on Saturday (December 19th) for the UNAF Champions Cup, only to see their team fall 5-6 to Algerian veterans ES Sétif in a penalty-kick cliffhanger. "It seems like Benzarti now has his hands full with the Tunisian national squad and no longer cares about Esperance," said Khaled, one of 13,000 fans who braved the bone-chilling air to watch the home team take on ES Sétif. The two teams played to a 1-1 draw before the final shots began, and added to the showdown atmosphere was the fact that they had tied 1-1 in the first leg. That match had been widely seen as a victory for upstarts Esperance, given ES Sétif's seasoned line-up and Arab Champions League titles in 2007 and 2008. But new coach Benzarti’s team couldn't stay the course on Saturday, even with the Algerian team missing forward Lazhar Hadj Aissa, who was kicked off the pitch in the 55th minute with a pair of yellow cards. Before the game, Algerian fans took to Tunisian streets waving red, white and green flags. No incidents or clashes were reported, and ESS loyalists even held up a "thank you" banner acknowledging Tunisians who had cheered on the Fennecs in their 2010 World Cup quest.

Saturday's match began with a bang. Esperance hit the pitch, backed by all their forwards, especially Michael Eneramo, who had infuriated fans days before the clash by making fiery statements about his own team. Esperance relied on deploying players to parts of the pitch ES Sétif would have liked to control, capitalising on the individual skills of Oussama Daragi and Eneramo. ESS countered by tightening their grip on both sides and keeping a fairly good lock on the mid-field, especially given their foes' mostly slow attacks. In the end, ESS fought tooth-and-nail in the hopes of winning, since nothing less than victory would secure the title after the first-leg tie. The only other option would be to play to a draw and then resort to penalty kicks — which was exactly what happened. In the 35th minute, Aissa sent the ball right past Esperance keeper Arbi Mejri, drawing groans from some Esperance fans who thought the shot could easily have been deflected. As ART sportscaster Isam Chaoweli commented, it was not "one of those impossible-to-catch balls". Esperance came back fighting when Youssef Mskeni managed a forceful 41st-minute shot that was skillfully stopped by keeper Faouzi Chaouchi.

By the second half, it was clear that Esperance were desperately seeking a draw, while ES Sétif were just trying to hold onto their lead. In the 55th minute, Aissa nearly managed a second goal that would have delivered a knock-out blow to Esperance. However, he lost the ball just as he closed in on the net. In the 78th minute, the Moroccan referee announced a penalty kick for Esperance after striker Khaled Ayari questionably tangled with the ball. Eneramo's on-target effort tied the match 1-1, in a mirror image of the first leg. It was then that a penalty shootout loomed as the only option, and not long after, ESS took home the title with their 6-5 victory. As the dust settled, sports commentators were quick to hand out blame, saying Esperance midfielder Khaled Korbi and striker Henri Bienvenu had blown two kicks, while Greens star midfielder Khaled Lemmouchia had bungled one for the Algerians. The cold and the defeat did not put Esperance supporters in the highest of spirits. "I have no idea how Esperance plans on overcoming those defeats," said fan Sami Kanoun. "Lately, they seemed to have forgotten the taste of victory. They tied with CA Bizertin, then Club Africain. Then, a week later, they got beaten by the Algerian team." Some Algerian fans, meanwhile, honked their car horns to express their joy. "I'm thrilled with this victory, especially since the match wasn't an easy one," one ESS fan told Magharebia after the win.