CAF Confederation Cup: ES Zarzis mark 20-year return with victory over Diambars

Tunisia’s ES Zarzis marked their return to African club competition after two decades with a 3-1 comeback victory over Senegalese side Diambars in the first leg of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round on Friday.

Zarzis, appearing in the competition for the first time since 2006, recovered from an early setback to score three unanswered goals and take a valuable advantage into next week’s return leg.

Diambars strike first

The Senegalese visitors stunned Zarzis by taking the lead in the 13th minute.

The early setback, however, failed to unsettle the Tunisian side, who gradually regained control and found an equaliser before half-time.

Khalil Al-Qassab levelled the contest in the 35th minute to send Zarzis into the interval with the momentum on their side.

Al-Qassab completes turnaround

Al-Qassab struck again 11 minutes after the restart to put the hosts ahead and complete the turnaround.

His second goal gave Zarzis the platform they needed to push for a more comfortable advantage ahead of the second leg.

Samba then added a third in the 70th minute, giving the Tunisian club a two-goal cushion and a strong position in the tie.

The victory provided an impressive start to Zarzis’ long-awaited return to continental football.

Closely fought ties elsewhere

Elsewhere in Friday’s Confederation Cup preliminary-round action, several clubs were unable to establish a decisive advantage.

Chad’s AS PSI and Côte d’Ivoire’s CO Korhogo played out an entertaining 2-2 draw, leaving their tie finely balanced ahead of the return fixture.

Cameroon’s Panthère were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Rwanda’s Rayon Sport, while Mauritius’ Port Louis also finished 1-1 against Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy.

Sudanese side Hilal Alsahil secured another narrow victory, beating Ethiopian debutants Welwalo Adigrat 2-1.

Battle for places in the next round

The Confederation Cup preliminary round is being played from 4-6 September, with the return legs scheduled for the following week.

The clubs are competing for places in the next stage as they attempt to move closer to the group phase of Africa’s second-tier club competition.

The 2026/27 edition features 17 debutants alongside established and returning clubs, with the opening round already producing several closely contested encounters across the continent.