Club Africain edge Djoliba as Arab clubs make winning starts in Africa

Club Africain began their CAF Champions League campaign with a narrow victory, defeating Djoliba AC 1-0 in Tunisia in the first leg of the preliminary round.

The decisive moment came in the 71st minute, when Sadiq Guedida scored the only goal of the match to give the Tunisian side a slender advantage.

Club Africain had home support behind them but could not turn the contest into a more comfortable victory. Instead, Guedida’s second-half strike proved enough to separate the two teams and put the hosts in front after the opening meeting of the tie.

Al-Merrikh also secured a 1-0 home win in the same round, overcoming Power Dynamos FC of Zambia.

The Sudanese side took the lead in the 39th minute when Boubacar Bangoura converted a penalty. That effort remained the only goal of the match, giving Al-Merrikh an identical advantage to Club Africain.

There was a different outcome in Uganda, where FC Nouadhibou drew 1-1 with Vipers SC.

The Mauritanian visitors struck first through Mohamed El Amine, who scored in the 23rd minute. Vipers SC responded to level the match, leaving the tie evenly poised after the first leg.

Another Sudanese club, Al-Hilal Club, produced the biggest winning margin among the four matches, beating Burundi’s Aigle Noir 2-0.

Yasser Gobak opened the scoring for Al-Hilal Club in the 18th minute. Ahmed Salem then added a second in the 55th minute to complete the victory and give the Sudanese team a two-goal cushion.

The results meant that Club Africain, Al-Merrikh and Al-Hilal all ended their first-leg matches with wins, while FC Nouadhibou returned from Uganda with a draw. The three victories came by a combined score of 4-0, with all the winning sides keeping clean sheets.

Club Africain’s success was settled by a single late goal, while Al-Merrikh relied on a penalty before holding on to their lead. Al-Hilal, meanwhile, scored once in each half to record the clearest victory of the group of matches.

The fixtures were all played as part of the preliminary round of the CAF Champions League, with the teams seeking progress in Africa’s leading club competition.

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