Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) side Plateau United have been knocked out of the CAF Champions League on away goals following a 1-0 (2-2 on aggregate) loss away at Esperance de Tunis.
The Nigerian club secured a first-leg advantage when they beat Esperance 2-1 at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Lagos and needed to avoid defeat of any kind to go through to the group stages.
However, a late controversial penalty at the Stade Olympique de Rades, gifted Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane a chance to score the much-needed goal for the four-time African champions.
Bizarre penalty for Esperance
In the 82nd minute of the game, Egyptian referee Ibrahim Nour El-Din awarded what seemed to look like a challenge just outside the box as a penalty to the Tunisian side.
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Esperance spent the latter parts of the game, defending their lead against the Jos club who came out in search of a goal.
The victory now means Esperance will now proceed to the group stages of the Champions League for the seventh consecutive.
Plateau United, on the other hand, drop to the play-off round of the Confederation Cup, where they will join the 16 winners of the Confederation Cup second round, and 15 other losers of the Champions League second round.
Reactions trail Esperance penalty
Following the heart-breaking moment, Nigerian took to social media to clamp on the call by the Egyptian referee.
"How can this be a penalty," one Twitter user said, with many others claiming the 2017 Nigerian champions were "robbed" off a place in the group stages.
Here are some reactions to the Esperance penalty.