CAF Champions League: Amazulu pick first ever win; Petro Atletico de Luanda stun WAC at home
South African debutants AmaZulu earned their maiden victory with a 1-0 result against Guinea’s Horoya as Amigo Memela’s beautiful 31st minute goal proved all the difference.
The visitors had been off to a better start and dominated the first quarter of an hour with Pape N’Diaye shooting wide in the fifth minute and Morlaye Sylla having a belter from range go straight to the keeper.
But the home side slowly grew into the game and they eventually got into the lead in the 31st minute when Memela beautifully flicked the ball into the net from an Augustine Mulenga cross from the right.
Five minutes to the break, Zambian Mulenga almost provided a second with another cross this time from the left, but Abraham Majok’s header was blocked a yard from the line by Khadim Diaw.
In the second half, Horoya came back determined to get back into the game and had the bulk of chances. In the 49th minute they came close twice, but couldn’t punish a mistake from an AmaZulu defender.
Sylla picked the ball on the right after a poor cross-field pass but his effort at goal came off the upright while Boniface Haba’s attempt with an acrobatic kick off the rebound went wide.
Seven minutes to time as Horoya mounted the pressure, Baffour Kyei came close with a ferocious freekick which was punched away by the keeper.
Angola’s Petro de Luanda stormed to the top of Group D after stunning Moroccan side Wydad Athletic Club 2-1 in Luanda on Saturday.
Having dropped a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Zamalek last weekend, Petro were in no mood to make the same mistakes twice as they saw off the victory to give themselves an edge in the group.
Wydad who won their opening game of the group stages had started well and had some good chances with Congolese forward Guy Mbenza having several opportunities, all which were thwarted.
Petro were also in attack mode and had a chance when Pedro Miguel picked up a lose ball at the edge of the box to rifle a shot which rose inches over the target.
They were however sprung into the lead four minutes to the break when Tiago Azulao picked up a long ball before finding the back of the net as they went to the break with a goal to their advantage.
Upon resumption, each of the two sides were more invigorated in attack. It was Wydad who were more adventurous in attack and they equalized in the 58th minute with Jalal Daouadi who struck a sublime freekick beyond the keeper.
But Petro were relentless and searched for the win at home. Just 10 minutes later, they were back ahead when Yano came to the end of a beautiful teamwork, finishing off Jared’s pass.
Petro managed to hold on to the lead and stun Wydad, giving themselves a realistic chance of progressing into the quarter finals.
Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy also picked up their first ever point in the group phase of the CAF Champions League after playing to a 1-1 draw with Tunisian giants Etoile du Sahel in Gaborone on Saturday.
Galaxy who are debutants came from a goal down, scoring a goal late into added time to scrape off a draw and earn their first point.
Etoile were first on the scoresheet with Souleymane Coulibaly breaking the deadlock after only 14 minutes in the first half, finishing off a pass from Youssef Laouafi.
In the second half, Galaxy pressed higher up the pitch and sought to have a goal to rake them into the match, forcing Etoile to play on the back foot and were ultimately rewarded in the second minute of added time when Thabang Sesinyi finished off a cross from Moagi Khido Sechele.
While Galaxy picked up a famous point, Etoile were going for the second match without victory having started off their group phase with a draw at home against Algeria’s CR Belouizdad last weekend.
Zamalek and Angola’s Sagrada Esperanca played to an entertaining goalless draw in Luanda on Saturday, with both goalkeepers, Leonardo Mutunda for Sagrada and Mohamed Abou Gabal for Zamalek doing a splendid job to keep the scores even and scoreless, with each side showing good attacking flow.
It was the second consecutive draw for Zamalek who came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with another Angolan outfit, Petro de Luanda, in their opening match in Alexandria last weekend.
Sagrada lost their opening group stage match 3-0 to Wydad Athletic Club , and the point is a plus to their campaign of making the quarter finals.
The draw leaves Zamalek second in the standings with two points while Sagrada are bottom with one.
Raja Club Athletic won 1-0 away to Algeria’s ES Setif to move top of Group B at the Stade 5 Juillet in Algiers with Mohamed Zrida goal in the 71st minute enough as visitors Raja picked up a consecutive 1-0 victory to move top of the group with six points.
In a tight match that didn’t have many of scoring opportunities, it was Raja who made the most of their best chance of the game to seal the win.
Setif had an early chance in the ninth minute of the game when Hocine Laribi slashed a cross from the right, but Abdelhak Debbari’s flick was just wide.
In the second half, it was Raja who saw most of the ball and in the 70th minute had a good chance to score when Kadima Kabangu raced to a lobbed ball behind the defense, but his effort to lift the ball over the advancing keeper went over.
However, a minute later, they scored in exact similar fashion, this time Zrida running on to a ball and perfectly placing it over the advancing keeper.
Setif almost grabbed a late equalizer when Abdelmoumen Djabou’s corner found fellow substitute Zoubir Motrani unmarked at the edge of the six yard box but his header came off the crossbar.
Sudanese side Al Merrikh and Mamelodi Sundowns played to a barren draw in their second TotalEnergies CAF Champions League Group A match at the Al Salam Stadium in Cairo on Saturday.
Sundowns who started their campaign with a 1-0 win against another Sudanese side Al Hilal last weekend were the most enterprising but couldn’t crack for an opening goal.
The Brazilians created scoring chances, pinned Merreikh in their own half, but Monged Abuzaid in the Sudanese’s goal couldn’t let anything pass.
Merrikh struggled to create chances, but will take in a draw in their first match of the group phase, a result that sees them sit third in the group as Sundowns lead with four points.