Raja Casablanca Crowned 2018 CAF Confederation Cup Champions

Raja Casablanca were yesterday evening crowned the 2018 CAF Confederation Cup champions after they overcame Congolese outfit AS Vita.

Despite going down 3-1 in the match, the Moroccan giants won the tie on 4-3 aggregate after they had dispatched the Central Africans 3-0 in the first leg at home in Casablanca last week.

Vita mounted an all-out attack in their bid to overhaul the three-goal deficit, a feat only once previously achieved in the 52-year history of the tournament.

The match was a tense affair and this was reflected by the two benches, who almost clashed in the first half of the match.

Vita defended well and had a chance inside the first quarter but Ducapel Moloko and Makusu Mundele could not profit from it.

Unfortunately, the Black Dolphins could not prevent Raja from scoring. Abdelilah Hafidi broke the deadlock in front of the 60,000 crowd at the Stade de Martyrs’, putting the home side in trouble.

Makusu Mundele pulled a goal back for Florent Ibenge’s charges in first-half stoppage time, bending a stunning free-kick into the top corner from just outside the box.

From that point, Vita needed three goals to be crowned champions hence they came back in the second half with guns blazing, pushing forward in numbers but they were vulnerable on counter-attacks by Raja.

Substitute Mukoko Batezadio reduced the deficit to 4-2 on aggregate in the tie in the 71^st minute, firing into the net after a goal mouth scramble.

Fabrice Ngoma set up a nervy final few minutes of the second half when he got the third goal for AS Vita on the night with a quarter of an hour remaining to make it 4-3 on aggregate.

The Green Eagles were inviting Vita into their own half by defending deep, but the approach paid off as the encounter ended 3-1 on the night but the visitors claim the title after winning 4-3 on aggregate.

Raja will face CAF Champions League champions Esperance de Tunisia in the CAF Super Cup in Rades, Tunisia on 29^th December.

The preliminary round of 2018/ 2019 African Confederation Cup is already underway with second leg matches taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday.

How they lined up:

Vita: Bongaman, Shabani, Botuli, Kupa, Muzinga, Ngudikama, Emomo (Sita 83’), Ngoma, Muloko (Mukombe 58’), Omba, Mundele

Raja: Zniti, Al Warfali, Banoun, Boutayeb, Achchakir, Mabidi (Oulhaj 86’), Niasse, Hadraf (Bouain 75’), Hafidi (Douik 31’), Benhalib, Rahimi