Esperance were lucky to salvage a point in the CAF Champions League.

Guinea’s Horoya had Tunisia’s Esperance Tunis at their mercy and looked certain to hand them defeat in the first Group B match of the CAF Champions League on Friday night, but Anice Badri scored a 93rd minute goal.

Ocansey Mandela gave Horoya the lead in the 68th minute and the Tunisians had the blade to Esperance’s ‘neck’, but they let them off the chopping block with some sloppy defending in injury time which saw the game at the Stade du 28 Septembre end 1-1.

The performance for Horoya, though, was a far cry from the one they produced to get to this stage of the Champions League. The Guinean side advanced to the group stage after eliminating Libyan club Al Nasr in the first round tie towards the end of last month.

The reigning Guinean Championnat National champions secured a 6-5 victory on aggregate – winning 6-2 at home in the second-leg clash.

For Esperance, they will be bitterly disappointed with their showing as they are the current defending Champions of the CAF Champions League which saw them automatically qualify for the group stage.

The performance from the Tunisians on Friday night was a lacklustre one as they fired blanks in attack until the dying seconds of the game

Horoya, though, will still count themselves fortunate to get a point after only really mounting one serious attack which led to the goal from Mandela.

Horoya are in action in the CAF Champions League again next week Friday, 18 January against South Africa’s Orlando Pirates while Tunis will face FC Platinum on the same day.

Horoya (0) 1 (Mandela 68’)
Esperance (0) 1 (Badri 93’)

Teams

Horoya: Berthe, Camara, Fofana, Asante, Yakubu, Mensah (Lingani 77’), Camara, Sebe, Bolaji (Dipita 87’), Haba, Ocansey.

Esperance: Jeridi, Derbali (Mejr 78’), Dhaouadi, Chammam, Ben Mohamed, Coulibaly, Chaalali (Rjaeibi 90’), Badri, Belaili, Meziani (Meskini 58’), Khenissi.