Charles Nyende
10 July 2009
Khartoum — Sudan champions El Merreikh defeated TP Mazembe of DR Congo 2-1 in the semi-finals of the Cecafa Club Championship with a 105th-minute winner from Nigerian striker Endurance Idahor on a night of high drama at the El Merreikh Stadium on Thursday.
TP Mazembe goalkeeper Robert Kidiaba was sent off for an off-the-ball infraction on El Merreikh hitman Indorance Idahor while assistant referee Hamisi Changwalu of Tanzania needed medical attention after he was hit on the head by a missile from the stands, stopping play for several minutes during the first half.
Both teams were involved in a brawl at the end of the match, and when it ended centre referee Mufta Ngobi of Uganda needed police protection from the incensed crowd.
Ugly scenes
Enraged TP Mazembe players engaged fans in a water bottle-throwing fight and scuffled with photographers recording the ugly scenes. Police had to throw a cordon around the players as aggressive fans bayed for their blood on a day the ugly side of the beautiful game reared its ugly head.
The match started off in good spirit as two of arguably the best teams in the tournament battled in "the final before the final". Sensing the need for the 12th man, the near-capacity crowd got behind the home team.
Kidiaba charged out to excellently stop Klechi Osunwa and deny the home team a dream start two minutes into the game. TP Mazembe responded with Bedi Benza slamming the upright with a powerful header four minutes later, before danger man Kabangu Mulato stole behind the El Merreikh defence to head home the opening goal - his sixth of the tournament - in the 12th minute.
The referee denied El Merreikh what looked a legitimate penalty after a TP Mazembe defender appeared to have handled the ball in the box 20 minutes on. Thereafter, the game degenerated into a farce of rough play, play-acting and repeated protests at refereeing decisions from both sides.The partisan crowd picked up the cue, setting the stage for the subsequent mayhem.
Idahor shrugged off the challenge of two defenders to head home Bella Jabir's delivery in the 51st minute, sending the crowd into rapture. Seven minutes later, Kidiaba received his second marching orders of the tournament.
After consulting his assistant, Ngobi, an economics lecturer at Makerere University, red-carded Kidiaba for fouling Idahor.
TP Mazembe, even with a man down, contained the home side well with some disciplined defending until the 15th minute of extra time. Stephen Wargo, who looked marginally off-side, broke through to pick out the on-form Idahor for a routine finish by his standards for his sixth goal of the tournament.
No sooner had the final whistle been blown than TP Mazembe's Kasusula Kiliticho attacked Mosa Alteyeb of El Merreikh with well weighed punches. Then all hell broke loose.
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