Esperance celebrate victory in African Champions League

Esperance fulfilled their dream by claiming the African Champions League and qualifying for the Club World Cup

Match-winning goal scorer Harrison Afful has hailed Esperance's African Champions League victory as "a dream come true".

The Ghanaian got the only goal of the tie as the Tunisians overcame Wydad Casablanca 1-0 on aggregate to claim the continental crown.

The "Blood and Gold" will now represent Africa at December's Club World Cup.

"It wasn't my best game, but I scored and I thank my colleagues for giving me that goal," Afful told the BBC.

"This is a dream come true [but] the task ahead of us now is very big," he said.

"We thanks our fans, because without them we wouldn't achieve anything in football."

It is Esperance's first Champions League title since 1994 and comes in a year when Tunisia has undergone a dramatic transformation thanks to its political revolution.

"This is an historic day for Esperance, I'm happy for the Tunisian people because they had a revolution - and this cup is great for the country and for the club," striker Yannick N'Djeng said after match.

N'Djeng was unable to score during the game but said he was happy to have played a part in Esperance's triumph.

"Yes I missed a couple of chances but this is football - the important thing is the team. I am a player within the team, I don't play on my own."

Esperance must now prepare to travel to Japan for the Club World Cup next month.

"The Club World Cup is a good thing - every player thinks about competitions like this," N'Djeng said.

Esperance will be joined in Japan by European champions Barcelona, Santos of Brazil who are the South American title holders, Monterrey of Mexico from Concacaf, Asian champions Al Sadd of Qatar and Auckland City from New Zealand, who are the Oceania club champions.

The final team in the tournament will be the club champions of the host nation, Japan - the J-League finishes on 3 December.