Raja Casablanca won the African Confederation Cup for the second time in four years with a 2-1 victory over JS Kabylie of Algeria in Saturday’s final in Benin.
Reduced to 10-men, Raja Casablanca scored two early goals but had to hang on grimly to secure the win.
Soufiane Rahimi put Raja ahead after five minutes at the end of a sweeping move and then Congolese Ben Malango was offered time and space to swivel inside the penalty area and strike home from close range for a second goal after 14 minutes.
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But JS Kabylie pulled one back with the first attack of the second half of the final, as Mohamed Zakaria Boulahia finished smartly at the end of a protracted goalmouth scramble.
The Algerians received a boost when Raja had Omar Arjoune sent off after connecting with an opponent’s face with a high boot just past the hour mark.
Referee Victor Gomes of South Africa at first handed him a yellow card but after being told to review the decision on the pitchside VAR screen, it was changed to a red.
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Raja, which previously won African club football’s secondary competition in 2018, held out to spark boisterous celebrations at the final whistle.
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