The excitement of the CAF Champions League has begun, and the first matches provided viewers with a delightful football spectacle.
Last year’s runner-up in the Congo League, TP Mazembe, drew 0-0 with Algerian champions MC Alger.
In the other match in Group A, Tanzanian champions Young Africans lost 2-0 to Sudan’s Al-Hilal Omdurman. Al-Hilal’s goalkeeper displayed remarkable saves, while Adama Coulibaly and Yasir Mozamil were the goalscorers.
In Group B, South African champions Sundowns, who have won their domestic league seven consecutive years, were held to a 0-0 draw by Congo champions Maniema Union.
Meanwhile, Morocco’s AS FAR defeated the Moroccan league champions Raja CA 2-0 away. AS FAR’s goalkeeper Ayoub El Khayati delivered an outstanding performance, with goals scored by winger Ahmed Hammoudan and midfielder Khalid Ait Ouarkhane. Raja CA earned a penalty in the 75th minute, but Sabir Bougrine failed to beat the keeper.
In Group C, South African team Orlando Pirates, currently in great form, defeated Algerian league runners-up CR Belouizdad, thanks to goals from winger Mohau Nkota. Belouizdad’s single goal came from Khanyisa Erick Mayo, and Orlando Pirates secured a 2-1 victory.
Last year’s CAF Champions League winners and Egyptian league champions, Al Ahly FC, had a dominant showing against the runners-up of the Ivorian league, Stade d’Abidjan. The Egyptian team scored three goals within the first 26 minutes through Kahraba, Mohamed Magdy Afsha, and Hussein El Shahat.
Stade d’Abidjan managed to respond only once in the first half, with a goal from Kassoum Kone. At the beginning of the second half, the star of the match, Kahraba, scored again, bringing the score to 4-1. Although Roger Assale scored a second goal for the Ivorian side in the 55th minute, it was not enough.
In Group D, two matches ended in decisive victories. Tunisian champions Esperance defeated Mali champions Djoliba 4-0, with goals from Raed Bouchniba, Elias Mokwana, Oussema Bouguerra, and Koussay Maacha. In the final match of the day, Egypt’s Pyramids FC demolished Angola’s Sagrada Esperança.
The star of the match, Ibrahim Adel, opened the scoring in the 17th minute. In the 50th minute, Mohamed Hamdi scored after an assist from Adel, followed by another goal from Adel in the 73rd minute. Fiston Mayele then extended the lead to 4-0 in the 77th minute. Pyramids kept pressing, and Ahmed Atef scored to make it 5-0. In the final minutes, the Angolan team managed to score once through Cachi, ending the match at 5-1.
The group stage will consist of six matches, and this tournament is already delivering exciting moments for football fans.
