Hearts Eliminated; Liberty Through

Champions League
Etoile du Sahel 1-0 Hearts
Aggregate 1-1. Hearts eliminated 5-4 on penalties.
Bortey missed the penalty
CAF Cup
Stade Tunisien 1-1 Liberty
Liberty Through 4-3 on Aggregate


Accra Hearts have for the fourth straight year failed to qualify for the lucrative league stage of the African champions league after losing out on penalties to Etoile du Sahel on penalties in Sousse.

Bernard Don Bortey who has been in poor form all season missed the penalty kick that gave the Tunisians victory and confined Hearts to another early exit from the champions league 5-6 on penalties after winning the trophy four years ago.

Etoile Sahel?s Nigerian goalkeeper Austin Ejide saved from Bortey whiles Sahel converted all their five kicks.

Sahel cancelled out Hearts? 1-0 lead from the first leg thirty minutes into the game through a penalty converted by Jedidi.

The loss means Hearts miss out on the opportunity to contest for the 1million dollar prize money at stake in the champions league. They have also missed out on an opportunity to earn 400,000 dollars that is paid automatically to the eight teams that qualify for the league stage of the competition.

Hearts officials were critical of the quality of officiating. Whiles not disputing the penalty awarded Etoile, Hearts chief executive Tommy Okine said Hearts had at least two strong cases for penalties turned down.

Elsewhere in Tunisia Liberty Professionals put up a solid display to go through to the next stage of the Caf Confederations Cup after holding Stade Tunisien to a 1-1 draw in Tunis. The Dansoman based club thus qualify on a 4-3 aggregate after winning the first leg 3-2 at the Accra Sports Stadium two weeks ago.

Hearts will now join Liberty in the Confederations Cup to vie for a place in league stages of that competition which is worth 250,000 dollars.

As part of changes introduced by Caf, the eight losers from this weekend?s champions league games will join the eight winners from the Confederations Cup to vie for eight places in the league stages of the cup which is a merger of the old Caf Cup and African Cup winners Cup.