LUBUMBASHI: TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo were crowned club champions of Africa for a fifth time after a 2-0 victory over Algeria’s USM Alger in the second leg of the Champions League final.

The goals came from the Tanzanian Mbwana Samatta and Ivory Coast’s Roger Assale in front of their home fans in Lubumbashi and secured a 4-1 triumph on aggregate.

The Congolese side had won 2-1 in the first leg in Algiers last weekend and now head for the FIFA Club World Cup tournament in Japan on December.

Samatta broke the deadlock in the 75th minute, putting Mazembe ahead from the penalty spot after a foul by Zinedine Ferhat on Roger Assale.

It was Samatta’s seventh goal of the campaign, to leave him as the joint leading scorer of this year’s African Champions League, alongside Bakry ‘Al Medina’ Babiker of Sudan’s Al Merrikh.

Assale made sure of the victory with a goal four minutes into stoppage time, tapping in from close range after Samatta spearheaded a counter-attack.

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