MARK GLEESON, Johannesburg | Monday 12.45pm
NIGERIA’S miserable record in Africa’s leading club competition looks set to continue after Lobi Stars were held to a 1-1 draw in their second round, first leg African Champions League match at home by Angolan opposition on Sunday.
No Nigerian team has ever won the African Champions League since Nigeria first entered in 1968, three years after the competition was launched.
Stars’ 1-1 draw in Makurdi looks likely to deny them a place in the lucrative league phase of the Champions League after Primeiro Agosto came from a goal behind to force a creditable draw, with the return leg to come in Luanda in three weeks time.
But two other West African teams did turn in impressive performances on Sunday, with both Hearts of Oak of Ghana and the Ivory Coast’s Africa Sports winning their first leg ties at home in fine style.
Hearts overcame Daring Club Motema Pembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo 4-1 in Accra with goals from Ghanaian international Emmanuel Osei Kuffour.
A hat-trick for Issoufou Alhassane ensured Africa Sports thumped Ferroviario Maputo of Mozambique 5-0 in Abidjan.
Africa Sports won the African Cup Winners Cup last year and have quickly emerged as one of the early favourites for this years Champions League title.
The crown of defending champions Raja Casablanca, however, rests precariously after the Moroccans could manage only a 2-1 win at home to Jeanne d’Arc of Senegal.
Mohamed Diallo shocked the home crowd on Sunday with a 33rd-minute goal but the Moroccans fought back to ensure a narrow lead for the return game in Dakar on May 28.
In the previous round, Jeanne d’Arc beat another north African team, Mouloudia Alger, 5-1 at home to set themselves up as this year’s potential giant-killers.
Former African champions Canon Yaounde of Cameroon scored the biggest win of the weekend in the Cup Winners Cup, hammering Zamsure of Zambia 4-1 on Sunday. In the CAF Cup, holders Toile Sahel of Tunisia won easily against Senegal’s Compagnie Sucriere on Saturday, their 3-0 home triumph in Sousse probably enough to see them through to the quarter-finals. — Reuters