By Victor Kanayo
Two Nigerian clubs – Enyimba and Remo Stars FC participating in the CAF Champions League lost their first leg preliminary stage of the competition.
While Enyimba, defending Champions of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) slipped 3-4 to Ahli Benghazi in Libya, Remo Stars, NPFL runners up were edged 0-1 by Medema SC at Cape Coast stadium, Ghana.
Both clubs with slim loss margin will be hoping to turn the table around in few days when they host their opponents in the return leg.
Also, Tanzanian champions Young Africans (Yanga) got their Champions League campaign off to a flying start with an emphatic 2-0 victory over Asas Djibouti at the Azam Complex Stadium in Dar Es Salaam on Sunday.
A wonder strike by Stephane Aziz Ki in the opening half along with another sublime hit by dangerman, Kennedy Musonda, secured the win for the home side.
It also ensured last season’s TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup runners-up seal a win in front of their fans, as they look to build on last season’s impressive run on the continent.
On the southern part of the continent, striker Thabang Sesinyi scored both goals of the match as Jwaneng Galaxy of Botswana played host to Uganda’s Vipers FC in another exciting fixture of the weekend.
The Big Bullets of Malawi fired themselves into a comfortable position ahead of the return leg with a 2-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea’s Dragon FC.
Morocco’s AS FAR had to work overtime for their 1-0 away win over a resilient ASKO Kara in Togo in a match that could have gone either way, while in Angola, Primeiro de Agosto managed a slender 1-0 victory over Congolese giants, AS Vita.
In Benin, nothing could separate Coton Sport and Cote d’Ivoire’s Asec Mimosas as they shared the spoils in a goalless draw, with the same result in Guinea, as hosts Hafia were held to a 0-0 draw by Generation Foot of Senegal.
Congo’s Otoho FC could not capitalize on home ground advantage as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sudanese side, Al Merrikh who will go into the second leg with the slight advantage.
The return leg of the first preliminary round of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League takes place next weekend, with the kick-off times and venues to be announced in due course.
Confederation Cup
Bendel Insurance continued their perfect start to the season as they edged Algeria’s ASO Chlef 1-0 to register an important first leg victory in the Confederation Cup.
Burkina Faso striker Alain Traore scored two goals for Arta Solar of Djibouti to defeat Somali side Horseed SC 3-0 in their first-leg of the preliminary stage of the competition.
Libya’s Al-Hilal Benghazi travelled to face Kenya’s Kakmega Homeboyz, where the match ended with a 0-0 stalemate.
South Sudan’s Al Merreikh stunned Haidob En Nahud 1-0 at home in another tightly contested fixture.
Mali’s Elgeco Plus had to dig deep against Botswana’s Gaborone United with a narrow 1-0 away victory while Guinea’s Milo rallied to hold Ghana’s Dreams FC to a 1-1 draw.
The second-leg matches will be played next weekend.
