Football
Ed Dove, Special to ESPN 7y

Tout Puissant Mazembe beat AS Vita Club to retain Congolese title

Tout Puissant Mazembe beat AS Vita Club 1-0 in Lubumbashi on Wednesday to edge three points ahead of their rivals in the league table, clinching their 16th title on the final day of the season.

When the play-off fixture calendar pitted these two together on the last day, there was always the chance that the Congolese Classico could prove decisive in the destination of the title, and it was Mazembe who secured the crown when Daniel Adjei scored the only goal of the game.

The Ghanaian headed home a cross by Democratic Republic of Congo international Issama Mpeko after two minutes to set Mazembe on their way to victory in a pulsating atmosphere in Kamalondo.

Les Corbeux suffered a 1-0 defeat in the last meeting between the two sides at the Martyrs Stadium, when Tady Etekiama scored the only goal of the game for Vita Club.

This time, however, the tables were turned, and Mazembe secured all three points to move up to 33 points, having won 10 matches to Vita Club's nine. Both teams end the campaign having drawn three matches, with Mazembe having lost one to Les Dauphins Noirs' two.

Victory secures Mazembe's record 16th title, and the triumph should set them up well ahead of their CAF Confederation Cup quarterfinal double-header against Angolans Recreativo do Libolo in September.

For Vita Club, whose own continental campaign ended in the CAF Champions League group stages after they took five points from six matches, the wait for a 14th title goes on.

After their first and second-placed finishes in the Congolese top flight this season, both Mazembe and Vita Club are set to represent the Central African nation in Africa's premier club competition next season.

^ Back to Top ^