Tunisians to fight out CAF Cup final
Tunisians to fight out final
Posted: 2008-10-20 09:34
The Confederation Cup final next month will be an all Tunisian affair, pitting title holders CS Sfaxien against fellow Tunisians and former winners Etoile Sahel.
Sfaxien clinched top place in Group A yesterday with a 2-0 home victory over second-placed Club Africain in a Tunisian showdown settled by goals from Abdelkarim Nafti and Aimen Ben Amor.
Etoile overtook Algerian visitors JS Kabylie 24 hours earlier in Group B after winning by a similar score courtesy of goals from Ammar al-Jemal and Mohamed Ali Nafkha.
It will be the second time two clubs from the same country contest the final as Hearts of Oak pipped Asante Kotoko on penalties in an all-Ghana decider to win the inaugural edition four years ago.
Bidding to become the first club to successfully defend the African equivalent of the European Uefa Cup, Sfaxien finished a six-match schedule with 14 points, six more than Club Africain.
It will be the fourth appearance in an African final by the club from the south-east town of Sfax, who won the now defunct CAF Cup in 1998 and lost to Al-Ahly of Egypt in the 2006 African Champions League.
They lifted the African Confederation Cup last year by defeating Al-Merreikh of Sudan 4-2 in Omdurman and 1-0 in Sfax and many of the trophy-winning squad are still first-team choices.
But Ghazi Ghrairi has replaced the coach behind the 2007 Sfaxien triumph, Swiss Michel Decastel, who will be plotting their downfall during the two-leg November final as Etoile coach.
And serial finalists Etoile will start as favourites given their remarkable record in Caf competitions with the clash against Sfaxien the 15th final appearance and seventh in eight years.
Based in the Mediterranean resort of Sousse, Etoile are the only club to win every Caf competition - 2007 Champions League, 2006 Confederation Cup, 1998, 2008 Super Cup, 1997, 2003 Cup Winners Cup and 1995, 1999 CAF Cup.
The Cup Winners Cup and CAF Cup competitions were discontinued after 2003 and replaced by the Confederation Cup, which offers a 330 000-dollar first prize and a one-off tilt at the Champions League holders for the Super Cup.
Erratic Club Africain traveled south from their Tunis base needing a win to finish above Sfaxien, but fell behind on 34 minutes when diminutive former national team midfielder Nafti struck.
And Sfaxien clinched a sixth consecutive home win in the Confederation Cup this year two minutes into stoppage time when Ben Amor added the second goal at the Taieb Mhiri Stadium.
Etoile began their game with Kabylie two points adrift so only a win would suffice and while Al-Jemal calmed nerves with an 11th-minute goal, success was not sealed until the second minute of stoppage time through a Nafkha goal.
The finalists will contest the first leg of the deciding tie on the weekend of 7-9 November, with the second leg two weeks later.
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