CAF Champions League: Esperance, Raja win, Zamalek avoids shock defeat
Five-time African champions Zamalek avoided a shock defeat after coming from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw against Angola’s Petro Atletico in their CAF Champions League Group D encounter at the Cairo International Stadium in Cairo.
Mahmoud Hamdi scored a 95th minute equalizer to save the Egyptian side’s blushes as the White Knights look to avoid a second successive exit from the group stage of Africa’s premier club competition.
Gleison and Vidinho had given Petro Atletico a 2-0 lead at halftime before Youssef Ibrahim Obama came off the bench to spark Zamalek’s fight-back with a goal just before the hour mark.
Zamalek are joint second with Petro Atletico with a point each behind group leaders Wydad Athletic Club who defeated another Angolan side Sagrada 3-0 on Friday.
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Achraf Dari, Yahya Jabrane and Guy Mbenza netted for the Moroccan side who will be bidding to win a third African Champions League title.
Mohamed Ben Romdhane netted a first-half hat-trick and Kingsley Eduwo rounded off the scoring as four-time winners Esperance of Tunisia hammered Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy 4-0 in Group C.
In the group’s other game, Kheiredine Merzougui came off the bench in the 89th minute and missed a penalty just minutes later for CR Belouizdad who settled for a goalless draw away to Etoile du Sahel.
Esperance leads the group with three points followed by CR Belouizdad and Etoile du sahel with one point while Jwaneng Galaxy props up the table with zero points.
In Group B, Mohsine Moutaouali scored the only goal of the game as CAF Confederation Cup winners Raja Casablanca defeated debutants Amazulu of South Africa 1-0 in Casablanca.
Algeria’s ES Setif stunned 10-man Horoya AC of Guinea by a similar score-line in the other group game. Ahmed Kendouci’s goal two minutes into the second half earned the visitors all three points in Conakry.
In Group A, 2016 champions Mamelodi Sundowns defeated Sudan’s Al-Hilal Omdurman 1-0 at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium in Pretoria with Temba Zwane scoring the only goal after just eight minutes.
Defending champions Al Ahly will play their opening group match against another Sudanese side, Al-Merreikh, at a later date as they had been in participating in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates where they finished in third place.