CAF Confederation Cup
FORMER SUNDOWNS COACH DOWNS SUNDOWNS IN CAIRO
Coach Pitso Mosimane got one over his former employers as home side Al Ahly beat Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0 in the first leg of the CAF Champions League at Al Salam Stadium on Saturday.
Mamelodi Sundowns is owned by the CAF President, Dr. Patrice Motsepe.
Taher Mohamed Taher was on target in the first half while Salah Mohsen doubled The Red Devils’ lead late in the second half to give the defending champions a slight edge over The Brazilians ahead of next weekend’s return leg in South Africa.
Taher broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute with a sweetly struck shot after drifting in to his favourite right foot, having brilliantly controlled Aliou Dieng’s long ball.
Ahly scored just after dodging a bullet when Gift Motupa had come inches close for Masandawana on the other end. The forward first saw his header come off the upright before being cleared for a corner.
From the resultant set piece, the striker was once again picked out with a decent delivery, but his header went inches wide.
It was a toughly contested duel between the two sides, the ball being reduced to the middle of the pack as each sought to command possession.
In the second half, Sundowns picked up the tempo and they had another chance in the 58th minute when Mosa Lebusa sneaked in to head at the near post off a cross on the right but his effort was saved by a hawk-eyed Mohamed Elshenawy.
The shot stopper was once again called into action in the 71st minute, making a brilliant one handed save to tip over Motupa’s well struck shot after Sundowns had played some beautiful football, substitute Kermit Erasumus playing the tee-up ball.
Ahly made changes, Junior Ajayi coming on for goal scorer Taher while Walter Bwalya was also introduced for Mohamed Sherif, Mosimane clearly going for an attacking finish.
They got that second goal they were craving for, part thanks to an error of judgement from keeper Dennis Onyango. The Ugandan had come off his line in a bid to pick out a long ball from Ajayi, but completely failed to pick out the ball.
Substitute Mohsen controlled with his chest and slapped the ball into an empty net to seal the victory for Ahly.
Zamalek commenced their CAF Confederation Cup journey with a 1-0 win over Kenya’s Police in the initial leg of the second preliminary round held in Nairobi this Saturday.
Veteran winger Abdallah El-Saied secured the win for the Whites with a precise strike from outside the box just a minute before halftime.
The Cairo giants, winners of the 2023-2024 CAF Confederation Cup title, started the match with relentless pressure on the hosts to clinch victory in the first leg and alleviate pressure before the upcoming return fixture in Cairo next Friday.
“The most important thing for us was to win and achieve our target,” Zamalek coach Gomes said after the game.
Hosts Police FC of Kenya could not breach Zamalek’s resolute defense in search of an equalizer.
Despite notable summer acquisitions, Zamalek’s coach Jose Gomes opted for a standard lineup, integrating young talents in lieu of seasoned players.
“We are now stronger than the previous season, thanks to spending more time with the team and preparing to play in the tournaments that we will participate in,” the Portuguese coach added.
Conversely, Kenya’s Police FC squandered a clear scoring opportunity against Zamalek, missing a crucial chance fifteen minutes before the final whistle, dashing hopes of leveling the score.
Kenya’s Police FC earned their place in this round following a hard-fought 1-0 aggregate victory over Ethiopia Coffee SC.
-Ahram
Nigeria’s Enyimba played a thrilling 0-0 draw with Burkina Faso’s Etoile Filante in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup second round tie in Bamako on Friday.
There have been three previous confrontation with Burkina Faso teams and this Friday encounter was the second time that Enyimba had had to face Etoile Filante.
According to facts supplied by Opta Nigeria, Etoile Filante were Enyimba’s first ever opponent on the continent 22 years ago in March 2002. Ever since, Enyimba have played 157 times on the continent; the highest by any Nigerian club.
Enyimba carry their advantage to the return leg to be played on 22 September.
Nigeria’s sole survivors in the CAF Confederation Cup,Enyimba will face Burkina Faso sides, Etoile de Filante in the second round of the competition.
Enyimba drew bye in the preliminary round while the Burkina Faso team reached the second round after eliminating Hafia of Guinea.
Enyimba, second runners-up in the Nigerian League will be attempting to win the Confederation Cup for the first time for Nigeria as they did in the Champions League 21 years ago.
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