On this day 17 December 2000 (Exactly 20 years ago today) Three late goals from Hearts of Oak earned the Ghana club their first and only African Champions League title as they beat Esperance of Tunisia 3-1 in an extraordinary, incident-packed match at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The second-leg victory gave Hearts a 5-2 aggregate triumph but the game was held up for 20 minutes after rioting broke out and police fired teargas.
Esperance later protested to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), seeking to have the result annulled. Esperance goalkeeper Chokri El Ouaer cut himself above the eye in a bizarre attempt to get the game abandoned but officials saw what he was up to and took no action
The Tunisian club claimed in their protest that El Ouaer had been hit by a flying object thrown from the crowd
Rioting broke out 15 minutes from time with Esperance leading 1-0 and going all out for the second goal they needed. The crowd pelted the linesman from South Africa with an assortment of objects.
Teargas was then fired into the crowd, one cannister landing in the VIP box, which forced all the dignitaries, including then CAF president Issa Hayatou, onto the athletics track surrounding the field.
A small group of travelling Tunisian fans also scaled the fences to seek refuge. During the melee one supporter ran onto the pitch and handed an object to El Ouaer, with which he cut a gash on the side of his face.
The goalkeeper, who played at the World Cup finals in France two years earlier , ran to the centre of the field with blood streaming from the wound, collapsing at the halfway line. But referee Robin Williams and linesman Achmat Sallie, as well as officials and journalists on the side of the pitch, saw the incident and the only result was that he had to leave the pitch injured.
It took 18 minutes for authorities to clam down incensed officials from both sides, with police chasing players and spectators from the field
When the game restarted, Esperance inexplicably brought on an outfield player and put midfielder Hassen Gabsi in goal, leaving reserve goalkeeper Mohamed Zouabi on the bench.
Hearts then quickly scored three goals to secure the continent’s flagship club trophy. Emmanuel Osei Kuffour equalised with seven minutes remaining and then toyed with the stand-in goalkeeper to score a second a minute from time.
Ishmael Addo add an equally easy tap-in from close range, added the third in stoppage time.
In between, Esperance had winger Walid Azaiez sent off for a butt at Hearts defender and it took three minutes for the furious player to leave the pitch. He then punched a policeman as he left the ground.
Esperance has been in control of the game before the bizarre turn of events, scoring early in the first half with a flying header by Gabsi and controlling the game after halftime with Brazilian import Adailton imperious in the middle. They looked strong contenders for a second goal, which would have put them ahead on aggregate and given them a second African Champions League title.
Hearts Line-up :1.Sammy Adjei, 6. Dan Quaye, 5. Jacob Nettey, 15. Edward Agyeman-Duah, 17.Stephen Tetteh, 14. Joe Ansah, 12. Charles Allotey (10. Emmanuel Adjogu 46), 9-Adjah Tetteh (4. Edmond Copson 67), 18. Ishmael Addo, 3. Emmanuel Osei Kuffour, 8. Charles Taylor (13. Osmanu Amadu 73).
Coach : Cecil Jones Attuquayefio
Esperance Line-up :1. Chokri El Ouaer (Maher Kanzari 85), 7.Tarek Thabet (5. Faycal Ben Ahmed 85), 17. Walid Azaiez, 15. Radhi Jaidi, 3. Hakim Nouira, 4. Mohamed Bedhiafi, 8. Hassen Gabsi, 11. Mourad Melki (2-Taoufik Hammami 69), 14. Adailton, 10. Reinaldo, 9. Ali Zitouni.
Story By: George ‘Alan Green’ Mahama
