Esperance Super Cup bad omen continues as Zamalek win fourth CAF Super Cup title after 3-1 victory over Esperance
After losing the 1999, 2012 and 2019 final of the CAF Super Cup, CAF Champions League holders Esperance de Tunis’ hopes of breaking their bad omen in the Super Cup by winning this year’s edition was once again scuffed on the ground by Egyptian power house Zamalek.
As now Confederation Cup winners Zamalek have been crowned the super champions of African Inter Club football after beating the 2018-2019 CAF Champions League winners in emphatic 3-1 manner during the Total CAF Super Cup finals in Al Rayyan, Qatar.
A very swift and entertaining football saw Zamalek took an early lead when Mohamed Abdel-Shafy and Youssef Obama combined beautifully to put the 2018-2019 CAF Confederation Cup champions ahead on the 2nd minute mark. The former sent in a stunning cross from the left flank for Obama who rose above Esperance defense to head home.
Esperance warmed themselves into the game, and Kwame Bonsu nearly drew representatives from the Champions League on level when a nicely worked effort between Ibrahim Ouattara and Hamdou Elhouni found Bonsu inside the twelve yard box, but the Ghanaian’s strike missed the posts by an inch.
Few minutes later, Bonsu shot from similar incidence but this time Zamalek goal keeper Mohamed Abou-Gabal saved the effort to corner.
Nine minutes into the second half, Esperance drew on level when Raouf Benguit converted a powerful penalty to the roof of the net. A ball seems to have hit the hand of Mohammed Hamdi, after consultation with the VAR referee Victor Gomes awarded a penalty to Esperance, followed by a yellow card to Zamalek defender Hamdi .
Four minutes later, Ashraf Bencharki restored Zamalek’s lead when Kwame Bonsu misplaced a pass in the center of the pitch. The Bencharki run through from deep midfield into Esperance box before slotting a low curler to the bottom right corner of the net.
Ten minutes to full time Esperance took total control of the game in search of the equalizer, and a nice cross from Ilyes Chetti was headed home into the net for the leveler but Gomes waved for offside when it was three minute to full time.
Bencharki went through one-on-one on goal before the Zamalek striker calmly lofted the ball beyond Ben Cherifia to complete Zamalek 3-1 triumph.
The Confederation Cup champions from Egypt are now kings of Africa Inter Club football for the fourth time in their history and coming at the Thani bin Jassim Stadium in Qatar, a stadium their Tunisian opponents have bad memories of, where they lost last year’s Super Cup title to Moroccan giants Raja Casablanca.
