CAF CC: TP Mazembe, debutants Gallants shine at home
Congolese giants TP Mazembe and South African debutants Marumo Gallants picked up huge home wins on the opening day of the group phase of the CAF Confederation Cup on Sunday.
Mazembe beat Real de Bamako 3-1 at home in Lubumbashi while Gallants picked up a 4-1 victory against Al Akhdar of Libya at their Dobsonville Stadium backyard.
The two move top of Group D and A respectively as they started their campaign in style.
At the Stade Frederic Kibassa Maliba in Lubumbashi, a pair of overhead kick goals from Jephte Kitambala and Alex Ngonga and Patient Mwamba’s screamer gave Mazembe a well-deserved victory with Souleymane Coulibaly scoring the consolation for the Malian side.
Kitambala broke the deadlock for Mazembe in the 24th minute when he controlled the ball from a tight angle on the left before going for an audacious overhead kick which dipped behind the goalkeeper. It was a worthy gift for the hosts, who had started faster off the blocks.
But, they were pegged back just eight minutes later when Coulibaly levelled after deflecting an Ousmane Kamissoko volley back into the area after a poorly defended freekick.
The Ravens, clearly all out for the win, got back into their single goal cushion when Ngonga scored. The Zambian international hit the back of the net with a superb acrobatic kick from an Issama Mpeko cross from the right.
They went to the break with a 2-1 lead.
In the second half, they had some chances to score. Beni Kinzimbi had an opportunity when he dribbled his way to the edge of the box but his left footer was saved for a corner. In the 77th minute, Ngonga almost scored his second on the half volley after running to an Adam Bossu ball clipped behind the defense, but the keeper saved too.
Substitute Mwamba then put the icing on the cake with a belter of a goal, a half volley from 30 yards out.
Elsewhere in Dobsonville, Ranga Chivaviro struck twice while Nku Lesiba and Joseph Malongoane added one a piece as Dylan Kerr’s Gallants had a dream start to the competition. Akram Alzawi scored the consolation for the Libyan side, but it was merely statistic.
Lesiba broke the deadlock in the fifth minute for Gallants, smashing a shot from inside the box after the Akhdar defense struggled to clear a cross.
The Gallants number seven had two more chances, but saw both saved by the keeper. They were however gifted the second in the 21st minute when a short back pass from the custodian was intercepted by Katlego Otladisa who squared back for Chivaviro to simply tap home.
They continued with the form in the second half with Chivaviro adding his second with a low shot from outside the area. Nku thought he had scored his second on the hour mark, but the goal was ruled offside.
Gallants dominated and had a myriad of chances missed, with Nku the guilty party for making most of the scoring opportunities go begging.
They were handed a reality check when Alzawi scored for Akhdar with a traditional route one football goal. A long kick from the keeper was flicked behind by Salim Baled, Alzawi finishing off with a strong half volleyed shot.
But, Gallants put the game back to comfort with five minutes left when Sibusiso Sibeko broke off on the left and into the box, before squaring unselfishly for Malongoane to finish.
Congo Brazzaville’s Diables Noirs and Tunisia’s US Monastir cashed in big on their home advantage, picking comfortable wins in their opening group stage matches of the Confederation Cup matches on Sunday.
Diables Noirs scored three first half goals to beat Nigeria’s Rivers United 3-0 to assume leadership of Group B. Asec Mimosas and DR Congo’s DC Motema Pembe played out to a barren draw in the other Group B match played at the same time.
In Brazzaville, the home side was keen to make a statement from the word go, and they did so with military precision in a full blown first half performance. Three goals in seven minutes was all they needed to wrap up maximum points.
They broke the deadlock on the half hour mark through Carl Wunda who tapped in from close range, before Jaures Maudsly Ngombe doubled their advantage just two minutes later with a low shot with the keeper off his line.
With eight minutes left to the break, they wrapped up their convincing victory through 19-year old forward Domi Jaures Massoumou.
In the second half, the Nigerians upped their tempo and just 10 minutes in, they had a chance to draw one back and change the trajectory of the game after Ukeme Williams was brought down inside the box by Josie Mwimba.
However, Gideon Duru saw his penalty comfortably saved by Dhody Foutou. None of their efforts then on could bear any fruits as Diables ensured they kept their guard tight to bank maximum points.
Elsewhere at the Stade Mustapha Ben Jannet, hosts US Monastir scored two first half goals to see off Tanzania’s Young Africans 2-0.
The victory sees them sit second in Group D behind TP Mazembe who earlier on saw off Real Bamako 3-1.
Mohamed Saghraoui and new signing Boubacar Traore notched the goals with a pair of headers from setpieces in the opening 45 minutes to hand the hosts the victory.
They broke the deadlock after 10 minutes when Saghraoui found space to head home from a Haykeul Chikhaoui freekick. Monastir were looking dangerous on setpieces and Yanga keeper Djigui Diarra made two good saves consecutively to deny Youssef Oumarou who had headed in from a Hichem Baccar long throw.
But the home side scored a second on the quarter hour mark when Traore thumped home a header unmarked from a Chikhaoui delivery from a corner.
Yanga had been disoriented but they soon found their footing and had a sniff at goal in the 33rd minute when Stephen Aziz Ki volleyed on target from a Jesus Moloko knockdown but the ball rolled easily into the keeper’s arms.
In the second half, Yanga were more composed and had more chances, dangerman Fiston Mayele seeing his shot from the near post saved by the keeper, before Aziz Ki had a well curled freekick put out by the shot stopper.
Despite added efforts, Yanga could not get themselves back in contention.
In another match, Egyptian debutants Future FC came from a goal down to hold AS Kara of Togo to a 1-1 draw. Mohamed Farouk scored the leveler for the Egyptians nine minutes to time, cancelling out Kangnivi Ama Tchoutchoui’s brilliant volleyed first half goal for the hosts.
The Ivorian club ASEC Mimosas failed to beat visitors Motema Pembe of DR Congo, who managed to withstand the pressure from the home side to hold them to a goalless draw.
USM Alger moved joint top of Group A in the Confederation Cup after seeing off DR Congolese outfit St. Eloi Lupopo 3-0 in Algiers on Sunday, while in Egypt, Abdalla Said scored the equalizer as hosts Pyramids played to a 2-2 draw with Morocco’s AS FAR.
In Algiers, USMA were on top of the game against their Congolese visitors. Khaled Bousseliou scored in either half with Algeria’s Starman at the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) Aymen Mahious adding the third late in the second half.
The home side led 1-0 at the end of the first half, having seen 63pc of the possession and had more chances at goal. They broke the deadlock in the seventh minute when Bousseliou slid in inside the box to connect a cross from Saadi Radouani home.
The visitors were contained well and had two close chances at goal. Manu Bola had a shot from the right saved while A-Samiou Tchatakora came closest with a point blank header which was kept out by the keeper’s feet.
In the second half, USMA stepped up their efforts and they added their second in the 65th minute when Bousseliou scored his second, another sweeping finish after a freekick from Adem Alilet was nodded down to his direction by Mahious.
The latter then sealed the win eight minutes to time when he drilled a freekick hard and low into the bottom right after being rolled on by Abderrahmane Meziane.
The win sees them sit second in Group A behind South Africa’s Marumo Gallants who won 4-1 against Libya’s Al Akhdar in the earlier fixture.
Meanwhile in Cairo, Pyramids and FAR played to a thrilling 2-2 draw, a match that sees an all square Group C, with all teams drawing their opening round of matches.
The home side got into the lead barely a minute into the match when Mostafa Fathi hammered a shot from inside the box. But, FAR equalized after 25 minutes when Diney Borges rose highest to nod home a corner.
The pace of the game lit up in the second half and it was the visitors who went into the lead in the 73rd minute, Mustapha Sahd heading home at the near post from a corner.
But the lead lasted only two minutes as Said got his side back on level terms with a thumping shot after being teed up by Reda Slim.
The goal inspired some fight from the 2019-20 finalists who saw room to grab a winner, but they couldn’t crack a tough FAR backline.