Cameroon : Anye Derick's heroics earns 17th league title for Cotonsport
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Cotonsport of Garoua have secured their return to the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, after winning the Cameroon's top tier championship.
Coach Gabriel Haman's Cotonsport needed penalties to separate them against Eding Sport, in a thrilling playoff final at the Roumde Adjia stadium in Graoua on Sunday evening.
19-year-old midfielder Kaiba Djawal scored deep in added time, to cancel out Prince Junior Sime's goal that had put Eding Sport in front at the 70th minute.
Goalkeeper Anye Derrick Fru who has featured in two TotalEnergies African Nations Championships with Cameroon, was the hero of the day, as he saved two penalties to secure the cotton weavers their 17th ever league title.
It is now back-to-back league success for cotonsport, who spend most league campaign out of their based in Garoua, following the Cameroon FA's new format of league games being played in Pools and in a few selected host cities.
Cotonsport finished second in Pool B during the regular season with 42 points, but dispatched Pool A winners Astres of Douala in the playoff semi final thanks to a Marou Souaibou's brace.
A third meeting of the season was set up between cotonsport and Eding, who had earlier met twice in Pool B. 2017 TotalEnergies CAF champions league preliminary round participants Eding, eliminated three winners Canon of Yaounde in the semi final, but ran short of ideas against cotonsport.
The recent success means cotonsport returns to the TotalEnergies CAF champions league for the first time since 2019.
The team reached the semi finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation cup in the 2020_2021 season, but could not go pass the group stage this season.
