RS Berkane of Morocco on Sunday night won the Confederation Cup final after defeating Egyptians Pyramids 1-0 to claim their first African title.
Playing at home in Rabat, the Moroccan club got the game’s lone goal in the 15th minute after Issoufou Dayo turned home from close range after Pyramids failed to clear a free-kick.
Berkane will now contest the 2020-21 African Super Cup as a team that has never won the Moroccan league title celebrates its greatest success.
A fractious contest could have been decided after 71 minutes but Haamdi Lachir blazed over when well-placed for Berkane, who had an extra day to prepare after winning their semi-final on Monday.
The miss came minutes after Mohamed Farouk and then substitute John Antwi came closest for big-spending Pyramids on a frustrating night in the deserted Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
Reduced to ten men in the dying moments after Bark El Helali was dismissed, Berkane avenged their loss to another Egyptian side, Zamalek, in last year’s final which they lost on penalties.
The club from north-eastern Morocco also gave their nation a much-needed boost after Egyptian duo Al Ahly and Zamalek gained the upper hand against both Wydad and Raja Casablanca in recent Champions League semi-finals.
Berkane started their campaign with defeat to Ghana’s Ashanti Gold but lost only once again, in the group stages, as a team that finished third in the recently-concluded Moroccan league proved its mettle.
Founded in 1938, Berkane have now won the only two trophies in their history in the last two years – their joyous scenes of celebrations meaning they had added the Confederation Cup to their 2018 Moroccan cup success.