Esperance crush TP Mazembe
Esperance crush TP Mazembe
Posted: 2010-08-29 13:18
Tunisian giants Esperance inched closer to the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League with a 3-0 win over holders TP Mazembe in their Group A clash in Rades on Saturday.
Captain Michal Eneramo led by example with a goal in each half and Walid Hicheri scored later in the game as Mazembe suffered the worst defeat of their continental campaign in recent times.
The victory was the third for the 1994 champions and sweet one of course taking into consideration that it was over no other club than the reigning lords of continental football.
The Tunisian champions were in charge of the game from the outset as Les Corbeaux struggled in search of their feet with the unavailability of talismanic captain Tresor Mputu Mabi and Lusadisu Basisila telling in their play.
On 20 minutes, Nigeria-import Eneramo scored the first goal that sent the crowd at the November 7 stadium into a partying mood.
Two minute from recess, Eneramo sealed his brace before defender Hicheri sealed victory three minutes from time.
Esperance have nine points, two points more than second placed Mazembe, with Entente Setif and Dynamos in that order with four and three points respectively.
The Tunisians need at least a point from their remaining two games to confirm their place at the last four.
In CAF Confederations Cup matches on Saturday, twice winners CS Sfaxien took a giant step towards a place at the next round with 3-0 win over FUS Rabat of Morocco in Sfax.
A spectacular second half performance from the 2007 and 2008 winners of the second-tier continental club championship was enough for them to send the Moroccan debutants packing empty handed.
With Frenchman Pierre Lechantre steering the affairs of the Sfax-based team from the bench, they however failed to capitalise on their dominance in the early stages for the opener.
After a barren first half, marksman Hamza Younes broke the deadlock on the 50th minute mark, before Nigeria-born forward Uche Agba doubled the lead on 71 minutes.
Agba, one of the key performers of the Heartland squad that lost to TP Mazembe in the final of the 2009 Orange CAF Champions League made amends after missing a golden opportunity five minutes earlier.
On 74 minutes, Younes sealed victory for Sfaxien with a superb strike as FUS Rabat cruised to their maiden loss at the mini-league stage.
Earlier, Zambia’s Zanaco were held to a one-all draw by visiting Haras El-Hodoud from Egypt in Lusaka.
Sfax lead the standings on four points, FUS Rabat on three points, El-Hodoud has two points and Zanaco in that order with one point.
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