Johannesburg (AFP) – Coach Moine Chaabani and his Esperance Tunis team will create records Friday if they retain the CAF Champions League trophy after the second leg of the final against Wydad Casablanca.
The Tunisian club may not even need a victory to achieve their goals — a 0-0 draw will suffice to win the elite African club competition on away goals after the first leg finished 1-1 in Morocco.
Should Esperance be crowned African champions a fourth time, Chaabani will become the first north African coach to secure back-to-back Champions League titles.
That would be a massive achievement for a 37-year-old catapulted last year into one of the hottest seats in African club football after Esperance lost a semi-final first leg.
They overturned the deficit at home to Angolans Primeiro Agosto and staged another dramatic second-leg recovery in the final to defeat famed Egyptian club Al Ahly.
Holding Wydad in Rabat last weekend extended to 11 matches the unbeaten run of Esperance since the 2019 CAF season kicked off, and pushed the Tunis outfit closer to another record.
If they overcome Wydad, the Tunisian club named after a cafe where it was formed 100 years will be the first to complete two Champions League-winning campaigns undefeated.
Even the 2005-2008 Al Ahly squad — the most successful African club in the modern era with a bevy of stars led by Mohamed Abou Trika — managed that feat just once.
While Chaabani and his multi-national squad cannot avoid the burden of being favourites, the coach has urged caution ahead of the second leg at the 60,000-seat Stade Olympique near Tunis.
“I wish we had returned from Morocco with a victory,” he said, recalling a first leg in which Wydad had captain Brahim Nakach red-carded just after half-time for a reckless tackle.
“Ironically, we were more successful in the first half when facing 11 opponents than in the second half when Wydad were a man short.
“We dare not assume the second leg is a foregone conclusion. I accept that we are the media favourites, but Champions League finals are littered with unexpected results.
– ‘Wydad a great team’ –
“Wydad are a great team and they have a great coach in Faouzi Benzarti. There is all to play for in the return match and I hope Esperance succeed.”
Chaabani was not born when Benzarti, the 69-year-old elder figure among African coaches, began his illustrious coaching career in 1979.
from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2wsdACO
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