Angolan clubs Petro Atletico and Desportivo Huila advanced to the first round of the Orange CAF Confederation Cup at the weekend after stirring displays. Both teams triumphed 3-0 at home to wipe out two-goal first-leg deficits in the preliminary round of the second-tier African club competition. Luanda outfit Petro left it late with Ladji Keita scoring the tie-clinching third goal just two minutes from time against Namibians African Stars.
The Windhoek club travelled to their northern neighbours confident a 2-0 first-leg advantage would be sufficient to earn them a last-32 place. But Hartman Toromba conceded an own goal just two minutes into the first half and Senegalese Keita struck two minutes before half-time to level the aggregate scores. And as a shootout loomed at Estadio 11 Novembre — showpiece of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations venues — another Keita goal earned Petro a tilt at Ghanaians Ebusua Dwarfs.
Desportivo scored at regular intervals to trounce Gabonese visitors CF Mounana 3-0 at Estadio Tundavala in southern city Lubango and advance 4-3 overall. Aly put Huila ahead seven minutes before half-time, Lito claimed the second goal midway through the second half, and Pataca netted 10 minutes before time.
CA Bizertin, beaten by eventual winners CS Sfaxien in an all-Tunisia Orange CAF Confederation Cup semi-final last year, will meet Desportivo in the first round. A good weekend for Portuguese-speaking nations was completed by a 2-0 win for Mozambicans Ferroviario Beira at home against Tanzanian ice cream company club Azam. National team striker Mario Simamunda was the two-goal Beira star, scoring the tie-levelling first goal on five minutes and the tie-winning second 20 minutes from time.
Zambians Zesco United, who were among 11 clubs to receive preliminary byes, are the next opponents for Ferroviario. Famous Kenyan club AFC Leopards set up a clash with South Africans SuperSport United after winning 2-1 in Addis Ababa to complete a double over Ethiopian outfit Defence. The home side halved a two-goal first-leg deficit when Mulalem Tilahun netted late in the opening half at a national stadium 2,300 metres (7,546 feet) above sea level. But Allan Wanga swung the pendulum decisively toward Nairobi-based Leopards by scoring in the first and last minutes of the second half.
Indian Ocean tourism paradise Seychelles is not a country that often has reason to celebrate in CAF club competitions with heavy overall defeats the norm. The trend was bucked by Saint Michel United did lose 2-1 at namesakes Saint Michel in Madagascar, but won 7-6 on penalties to secure a first round date with Zimbabweans How Mine. Ugandans Victoria University dominated Democratic Republic of Congo visitors Don Bosco and won 1-0 via a Mathew Odong second-half goal. But the Confederation Cup newcomers bowed out having lost the first leg 3-0 in Lubumbashi last weekend.
Courtesy of AFP
Confederation of African Football (CAF) News
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