CAF Champions League
HOW GOR MAHIA DIMMED LOBI STARS IN NAIROBI
Gor Mahia could become the first Kenyan club to reach the CAF Champions League group phase after defeating Lobi Stars ofNigeria 3-1 on Sunday in a 2018/2019 round-of-30 first leg.
It was a better-than-expected result for the Nairobi outfit after they struggled to overcome Nyasa Big Bullets of Malawi in the preliminary round,scraping through on penalties.
The overall outcome could hinge on whether Gor Mahia can score an away goal inNigeria this Saturday to cancel the one Lobi Stars snatched in east Africa.
Kenyan clubs have failed to reach the group stage since its introduction in
1997, but Gor came close last year by losing 1-0 overall to eventual champions
Esperance of Tunisia.
Rwandan Jacques Tuyisenge gave Gor Mahia a sixth-minute lead in Nairobi that Samuel Onyango increased midway through the first half.
Samuel Kadiri pulled one goal back for Lobi only for Onyango to net again before half-time with the last goal of the match.
Five former winners of the competition were in action and four won at home
while the other drew away.
V Club of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the 1973 champions, look set for the group stage after hammering minnows Bantu of Lesotho 4-1 in Kinshasa.
Jean-Marc Makusu, runner-up in the CAF Confederation Golden Boot race last
season with 11 goals, bagged a brace for the Congolese.
Tunisians Club Africain, who were African champions 27 years ago, came from
behind to defeat Al Hilal of Sudan 3-1 in the Tunis suburb of Rades.
The hosts had the narrowest of leads until Oussema Darragi scored a potentially crucial third goal one minute into stoppage time.
Ismaily, whose 1969 triumph was the first in the competition by an Egyptian club, won 2-0 at home to Coton Sport of Cameroon with Baher el Mohamadi and Karim Bambo scoring.
Five-time African champions TP Mazembe of DR Congo managed only a 1-0 win over
Zambian club Zesco United in Lubumbashi with an early Jackson Muleka goal
separating the sides.
Mamelodi Sundowns, who two years ago became the second South African winners of
the Champions League, drew 0-0 away to Al Ahly Benghazi of Libya in Cairo.
Benghazi were forced to move the fixture to the Egyptian capital because of
militia violence in their country.
AS Otoho of Congo Brazzaville, who shocked 2018 semi-finalists Primeiro Agosto
of Angola in the preliminary round, were held 1-1 at home by FC Platinum of
Zimbabwe.
Mamane Cisse gave the hosts an 18th-minute lead in the northern town of Owando
and Lameck Namho levelled three minutes after half-time.
The 15 second legs are scheduled for this Saturday and Sunday while defending
champions Esperance of Tunisia received a bye into the December 28 group draw.
Nigeria’s sole survivor into the second round of the CAF Champions League, Enugu Rangers have crashed out of the competition. They lost 3-1 to Angola’s Sagrada Esperança this Sunday in Luanda.
The aggregate scoreline is 3-2 as Rangers last weekend won their home game 1-0. Sagrada Esperança opened the game with offensive and got their first goal barely six minutes into the game when Alexandre Fernando found the back of the net.
The hosts doubled their lead in the 33rd minute through Mussa. But four minutes later, Enugu Rangers reduced the tally to 2-1 to carry an away goal advantage into half time.
Jamie Pimpao got the much needed goal for Angola in the 67th minute to seal the hopes of Rangers.
Sagrada Esperança will now go into next month’s draw for the draw of the group stage.
CAF Champions League 2nd Preliminary Round action resumed on Saturday, 14 September following the resumption of the Africa’s premium club competition on Friday.
It was mostly the travelling teams that secured victories away from home on Saturday, who put themselves in fairly comfortable situations ahead of the return leg next week.
Orlando Pirates had a mental obstacle to overcome in Gaborone against Jwaneng Galaxy, having to face the same side that eliminated them in the same phase of the competition last season.
The former champions secured a 2-0 victory in Gaborone to put themselves in a comfortable position ahead of the return leg next weekend.
Five-time champions, TP Mazembe were away to Red Arrows in Zambia where they also put two past their hosts ahead of the return leg in Lubumbashi.
Mamelodi Sundowns, who played their away match in the comfort of their home stadium against Swaziland’s Mbabane Swallows made use of home ground advantage with a comfortable 4-0 win over their neighbours.
Tanzanian champions, Young Africans secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over CBE SA of Rwanda as Tanzanian giants continue to chase a continental title.
It was a rather tough outing for Moroccan outfit, AS FAR when they travelled to Sudan to face Al Merrikh. A highly entertaining encounter concluded with a 2-2 draw, ahead of the return leg in Morocco.
Egyptian side, Pyramids FC also played out to a draw when they were held 1-1 by APR FC in Rwanda.
Burkina Faso side, Association Sportive des Douanes out up an impressive showing when they edged Algeria’s CR Belouizdad by 1-0.
The first leg of the 2nd Preliminary Round concludes on Sunday, with five interesting encounters lined up, including reigning champions Al Ahly kick starting their title defense away from home.
TotalEnergies CAF Champions League Results & Fixtures:
Friday, 13 September
Enugu Rangers 1 – 0 Sagrada Esperanca
Monastir 0 – 1 MC Alger
Saturday, 14 September
CBE SA 0 – 1 Young Africans
Red Arrows 0 – 2 TP Mazembe
Al-Merrikh 2 – 2 AS FAR
Jwaneng Galaxy FC 0 – 2 Orlando Pirates FC
Maniema Union 2 – 1 Petro de Luanda
Djoliba 1 – 0 ASKO
Douanes 1 – 0 CR Belouizdad
Sunday, 15 September
12h00 GMT | Gor Mahia vs Al Ahly
15h00 GMT | Samartex vs Raja CA
16h00 GMT | San Pedro vs Al-Hilal
16h00 GMT | Dekedaha vs ES Tunis
19h00 GMT | Stade d’Abidjan vs Milo FC
The return leg fixtures of the 2nd Preliminary stage will be played between 20 – 22 September.
-CAF
Enugu Rangers’ patchy form in the CAF Champions League continues as they struggled to beat visiting Angola’s Sagrada Esperance 1-0 in the first leg match played at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.
It was in similar fashion that they played against Union Sportive de Zilimadjou of Comoros Islands who they beat 2-1 over two legs in Uyo.
Rangers’ lone goal was scored by Kazeem Ogunleye in the 80th minute.
NFF Communication director unfolds 20 Points of a 20-hour ordeal on Libyan soil
African football legends, Adebayor and Aubameyang condemn Libya’s treatment of Super Eagles
BREAKING! CAF wades into the Libya-Nigeria Airport episode
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
AIU releases its report on Tobi Amusan
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Players boycott Libyan national team
-
AFCON5 days ago
Billiat’s penalty seals Zimbabwe’s 1-0 win over Namibia
-
AFCON1 week ago
Eguavoen unfolds Super Eagles’ squad for back-to-back duel with Libya
-
AFCON7 days ago
Facts & Figures as AFCON 2025 qualifiers enter Matchday 3
-
AFCON6 days ago
AFCON 2025 in Morocco: Everything you need to know
-
AFCON5 days ago
Libya’s captain, Faisal Al-Badri alleges poor treatment in Nigeria
-
Uncategorized7 days ago
CAF compels Kwasi Appiah to step down from Ghana FA
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Fastest World Cup final scorer is dead!