iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
The paths of these two stars have intersected on several occasions due to their association with the luxury brand Bulgari
KT APPDOWNLOAD
Mazembe, Eesperance eye FIFA Club World Cup spot
ABU DHABI - Defending African champions TP Mazembe Englebert look set to retain their title as they head into the second-leg of the CAF Champions League final with a 5-0 lead over their Tunisian opponents Esperance.
A win for the Congolese team means it will secure a place at this year’s FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2010, in Abu Dhabi next month, as the African representatives.
The Tunisians, however, will need a miracle to claw their way back from that devastating first-leg loss in Lumubashi last month. They do have the home advantage when the second-leg kicks off on November 13 in Tunis.
During ‘The Crows’ win Ngandu Kasongo and Given Singuluma scored two goals each while Alain Kaluyituka grabbed his seventh goal from the spot in this year’s competition — the win equals the previous record for the biggest winning margin in a leg of a final of Africa’s top club competition. It was Mazembe who set the previous mark in 1968 when they beat Etoile Filante of Togo 5-0 in the first leg of the Champions Cup final.
The Congolese team is now chasing the record for the biggest aggregate victory in an African club competition – this was set by Canon Yaounde of Cameroon who defeated Kenya’s Gor Mahia 8-0 over two legs in 1979 to claim the now-defunct African Cup.
The five-goal margin has all but sealed TP Mazembe’s status as the best club in African football.
Their coach Lamine N’Diaye said his team’s hard work and effort in training contributed to the win. “I went on the whole week about how we had to keep the same intensity in the match as we had in our preparations,” he told FIFA.com after the win.
If TP Mazembe does qualify for this year’s FIFA Club World Cup it will be their second consecutive appearance. The Crows will be hoping to improve on last year’s performance when they failed to get past the quarter-finals after losing to Asian champions FC Pohang Steelers 2-1. They then failed to claim fifth-place after a shock 3-2 loss to Auckland City FC, the Oceania club champions.
Mohammed Khalfan Al Rumaithi, president of the UAE’s Football Association, said the next few weeks were building up to be an exciting time for football fans in the UAE as Abu Dhabi prepares to be transformed into a football city.
“We’re so close now and as we find out who will represent Africa at the tournament we will also be watching closely in Tokyo on the same day to find out who will be Asia’s representative in Abu Dhabi,” he said.
“Unless Esperance is able to turn things around it is almost certain that we will be welcoming the Congolese team back to the tournament. And if they do win, it will be their chance to improve on last year’s performance and show the world what African clubs have to offer.”
The winner of this year’s CAF Champions League final will face Mexican outfit and CONCACAF representative Pachuca FC in match two of the tournament at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium on December 10.
Africa has been waiting patiently to find out who will represent the continent at this year’s tournament, which has already seen five out of seven clubs qualify for the prestigious event to be held from December 8 to 18 at two venues in the UAE capital.
UEFA champions FC Internazionale Milano is aiming to continue Europe’s domination, while CONMEBOL representatives Brazil’s SC Internacional is setting its sights on winning its second club championship after successfully claiming the title in 2006. Other contenders for the title include Oceania representatives and first-time participants Hekari United from Papua New Guinea, CONCACAF champions from Mexico Pachuca FC, who make their third appearance at a club world cup, while Al Wahda FC from Abu Dhabi will be the host nation representative after claiming the domestic league title last season.
Asia will also have its winner on November 13 as Iran’s Zob Ahan face Korean club Seongnam IIhwa Chunma in Tokyo, Japan.
The FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2010 brings together the club champions from six continental confederations: Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America and Oceania, as well as the winning team from the host city’s national league. From December 8, teams will compete to be crowned club world cup champions over 11-days of action at Zayed Sports City and Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium.
More news from
The students' demands range from a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas to calls for universities to stop investing in Israeli enterprises
Despite Kohli's flowing form ahead of the T20 World Cup in June, pundits have raised concerns over his strike-rate
Saudi Arabia has begun to explore extracting lithium from sea water
Speaking after meeting Lebanese leaders, French foreign minister says there had been "a lot of progress" over the French proposals
The three-shot winner from Japan says he is aiming to become a member of the PGA Tour in the future
Big-hitting Nienaber falters at the finish to settle for secondwhile former Abu Dhabi resident David Horsey takes the third spot at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club
The UAE is India's second-largest export destination after the US
