Hearts Fail To Win Super Cup

CAF Champions League winners, Enyimba of Nigeria, added this year's super Cup to their medal hauls, registering two extra time goals against Confederation Cup kings Hearts of Oak at the Enyimba International Stadium, Aba, Nigeria.

The two sides failed to score during regulation time but Enyimba accelerated and scored a goal in each half of extra time as a 10-man Hearts' side run out of steam to salvage their image.

The Nigerians had a man advantage for the last 20 minutes of normal time and extra time after Hearts' Lawrence Adjei left the pitch injured and the Ghanaians had already made all their substitutions.

The first half was evenly balanced with both sides having chances that they failed to convert.

Enyimba dominated the closing stages of the match but were unable to convert any of their chances.

The deadlock was eventually broken in the seventh minute of injury time when Mutiu Adegoke found the back of the net following a goal mouth scramble.

Adegoke then turned provider in the fifth minute of the second period of extra time when his cross was headed home by the Benin international Muri Ogunbiyi.

Hearts' young goalie, Sannie Mohammed stood between Enyimba and a goal harvest particularly in the first half of regulation time, as he pulled some tremendous saves to the chagrin of the home fans.

Enyimba coach Okey Emordi was happy with the victory.

"We struggled against a good side but we deserved this victory," he told BBC Sport after the game.

Hearts coach, Cecil Jones Attuquayefio, was philosophical after the match.

"One thing that happened today is that two of the continent's best sides clashed today but one must emerge as winner and this time it was Enyimba," he said.

The Ghanaian side's captain Yaw Amankwa Mireku said his team were not disappointed they lost the game.

"We are not disappointed because Enyimba played very well and deserved their victory," he said.

The game finished in a heavy downpour but nothing could dampen the jubilation from the capacity crowd in the stadium in Aba.

It was another double for the Nigerians who recorded the same feat last year and became the second club in many years to win the Champions League back-to-back.

Hearts also made it double in 2000, winning both the Champions League and the Super Cup.

The annual African Super Cup clash is played between the winners of the Champions League and the Confederation Cup champions.
Hearts: Sannie Mohammed, Amankwa Mireku, Acquah Harrison, Dan Coleman Michael Donkor, Erik Nyarko, Lawrence Adjei, Francis Bossman/Saliu Muntari Abdul "Okocha" Samad, Joe Tagoe, Wisdom Agbeko