/ 31 May 2000

ZAMALEK, CANON PROMISE CAF THRILLER

A CLASSIC Cup Winners Cup showdown between African club giants Zamalek of Egypt and Canon Yaounde of Cameroon looms after the quarter-finals draw in Cairo. Zamalek have been paired paired with giantkillers Ndiambour of Senegal and Canon meet the other surprise packets, Etoile of Congo, in home-and-away clashes during August. Success will keep the former African champions apart in the semi-finals with Zamalek playing Royal Armed Forces of Morocco or Saint Louisienne of Reunion while Canon tackle Al-Ittihad of Libya or JS Tenere of Niger. Although unimpressive second-round winners over Coffee of Ethiopia, Zamalek are seasoned campaigners who have lifted the Champions Cup a record four times and can call on several Egyptian national team stars. Ndiambour will be no pushover having eliminated 1998 African Champions League winners ASEC of Ivory Coast and Esperanca Sagrada of Angola in the previous rounds. Besides winning the Champions Cup on three occasions, Canon achieved a record victory margin for a Cup Winners Cup final 21 years ago by humiliating Gor Mahia of Kenya 2-0 in Nairobi and 6-0 in Yaounde. Etoile upset Plateau United of Nigeria in the first round before claiming an even bigger prize, 1999 runners-up Club Africain of Tunisia, thanks to an Alban Ngoubou goal 120 seconds before the final whistle.