Esperance de Tunis put in an impressive second-leg performance to defeat Egypt’s Al Ahly and claim their third CAF Champions League title after a 3-0 home win secured a 4-3 aggregate success. With the result, the Tunisian outfit will make their second appearance at the FIFA Club World Cup, having debuted at the global finals back in 2011.
Trailing 3-1 from the first leg, Esperance put their Egyptian opponents under plenty of pressure during the first half at the Stade Olympique de Rades, as they looked to find a way back into the final.
It took until first-half stoppage time for the Tunisian side’s comeback to begin, as Saad Bguir took a pass from Taha Yassine Khenissi before finishing past Al Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy with a low, left-footed shot.
Shortly after half-time, a buoyant Esperance put themselves in the driver’s seat to win Africa’s top club prize when Bguir struck again, as he headed home Sameh Derbali’s cross from the left on 54 minutes.
Esperance would cap a dominant second-half display with a decisive third goal, as Anice Badri struck on the counter-attack to spark jubilant celebrations with their supporters.
As CAF Champions League winners, Esperance join Al Ain (hosts), CD Guadalajara (CONCACAF), Real Madrid (UEFA) and Team Wellington (OFC) in securing their berth at UAE 2018.
Source – FIFA
