CAFCL: JS Kabylie stun holders Wydad; Sundowns see off Cotonsport
JS Kabylie beat defending champions Wydad Athletic Club 1-0 in Algiers to move top of Group A in the CAF Champions League.
The game looked to be heading to a draw, but Souyad dived in to score a bullet header from a Kouceila Boualia corner and send the home side to four points and top of the group.
This was Wydad’s first match of the group phase as they didn’t play last weekend due to their involvement in the FIFA Club World Cup.
The Moroccans camped in the Kabylie box for the final five minutes of the game, but they couldn’t grab at least a draw on the road.
Kabylie had the most chances throughout the game, and were rewarded for their industry especially on the offensive end.
In the opening half, they only had 40 per cent of ball possession, but with that had two close chances at goal.
Noufel Ould Hamou had a shot on his outer foot fly straight to the keeper’s arms, while Sofiane Guenina also had an effort from distance saved by the Wydad custodian.
In the second half, they had more chances, with Dadi Mouaki and Hamou combining twice. On the first instance, Hamou’s shot from a Mouaki tee was saved by the keeper while in the second, he shot over one on one with the keeper.
Kabylie kept their hunt, keeping the faith, and would be rewarded just three minutes to time, skipper Souyad diving in at the back post to send a scorching header into the back of the net.
Wydad will not head back to the drawing board to get their acts clean before facing off with Petro de Luanda in Casablanca next weekend.
The Algerian side will be away to AS Vital Club of DR Congo.
Mamelodi Sundowns made it two wins in two matches in Group B with an impressive 3-1 victory away to Cameroon’s Cotonsport in Garoua on Friday.
In-form Cassius Mailula was the hero for Sundowns with a brace and an assist, scoring either side of Thapelo Morena’s brilliant goal.
Patient Gouegoue Wassou scored the consolation for the home side, who were playing their first match in the group stage.
The South Africans raced into a 2-0 lead within the opening 11 minutes, scoring twice in two minutes.
Mailula scored the opener after nine minutes, his second consecutive goal in as many matches, and his 11th in all competitions.
The forward intercepted a sideways pass from Cotonsport defender Youssoufa Houzaifi before shooting low into the bottom right. Two minutes later, he set up Mailula for a second but the goal came off a brilliant team play.
Khuliso Mudau sent Mailula through on the right, the latter cutting back a cross which Morena back-heeled into the net.
The hosts almost halved the deficit after 20 minutes but Enock Djidjiwa saw his header come off the post.
They however drew one back on the half-hour mark when they turned over possession in midfield with Djawal Kaiba sending Wassou through on goal, the 19-year old scoring with a neat low shot.
But, Sundowns restored their two-goal margin, Mailula completing his brace two minutes to the break with a low finish past the keeper after racing to an Aubrey Modiba defense splitting pass.
In the second half, Sundowns continued to dominate and had the best of chances, Mudau’s shot from a cutback coming off the outside of the post while Sphelele Mkhulise blasted over one on one with the keeper.
The home side almost pulled one back in added time, but Kaiba’s shot from range was turned behind by Ronwen Williams.
With the victory, Sundowns are comfortably on top of the group with six points.
Sudan’s Al Merrikh and Egypt’s Zamalek chalked their first points in Group D of the CAF Champions League after playing to a 0-0 draw at the Benina Martyrs International Stadium in Benghazi, Libya.
Both sides started their campaign last weekend with identical 1-0 losses, but they managed to get one each on board after match day two.
On a hot afternoon in Benghazi, it was a closely contested tie, with Merreikh looking to make the most of their ‘home advantage”.
Zamalek defended well in the face of a spirited attack from Merreikh.
Goalkeeper Mohamed Awad had to be hawk-eyed and he made a neat save to deny Masinho in the 27th minute with a close opportunity, ensuring the spoils remained shared at the break.
In the second half, Merreikh kept their attacking front and Awad made another good save to deny Alex Da Silva 10 minutes after the restart.
Late on in the game, with 12 minutes left on the clock, Awad made another brilliant save, putting a strong right palm to punch away an overhead kick from Ajab Ramadan.
None of the two sides could land a goal as they shared a barren stalemate, a result that leaves them occupying the bottom two slots in the group.
