Osunwa late strike hands Merreikh narrow win
Veteran Kelechi Osunwa scored a last gasp winner to aid El Merreikh beat hosts Sony Ela Nguema in their preliminary round first leg clash on Sunday in Malabo.
The 32-year old, on his second stint the Omdurman-based club, scored on the stroke of full time to hand ‘Al-Zaeem’ victory, in a game they failed to find their feet.
The Equatoguinean champions were by far the better side in the opening half, but Miguel Angel Nzang’s effort on ten minutes that missed target narrowly remained their major chance at finding the back of the net.
With a little of over 500 fans at the Estadio Nuevo in Malabo, it was the introduction of Osunwa for Solomon Ojo on the half-hour mark, that made the difference for the visitors.
In what was virtually the last attack of the game, Ramadan Agab squared Osunwa, who slotted past Guillaume Komi for the goal that separated the two sides.
Merreikh coach Diego Garzitto was unhappy with the performance of his team despite having one foot at the next round.
“We were very lucky. If we had been in front of a stronger team, I cannot tell what would have happened to us. I have only been in charge of the team for 15 days, and hope to give the team a new face in the ensuing weeks. The second leg in Omdurman will be another tough game”.
The return leg will take place on Saturday, 18 February 2017, with the winner facing either AS Real (Mali) or Rivers United (Nigeria) for a place at the group stage.
KCCA (Uganda) 1-0 Primeiro de Agosto (Angola)
JS Saoura (Algeria) 1-1 Enugu Rangers (Nigeria)
RC Kadiogo (Burkina Faso) 3-0 Diables Noirs (Congo)
AS Real (Mali) 0-0 Rivers United (Nigeria)
AS Tanda (Cote d’Ivoire) 3-0 AS FAN (Niger)
US Goree (Senegal) 0-0 Horoya (Guinea)
FC Johansen (Sierra Leone) 1-1 FUS Rabat (Morocco)
CF Mounana (Gabon) 2-0 Vital’O (Burundi)
Zanaco (Zambia) 0-0 APR (Rwanda)
Zimamoto (Zanizibar) 2-1 Ferroviario da Beira (Mozambique)
Royal Leopards (Swaziland) 0-1 AS Vita (DR Congo)
CNapS (Madagascar) 2-1 Township Rollers (Botswana)
Saint Louisienne (Reunion) 2-1 Bidvest Wits (South Africa)
Lioli (Lesotho) 0-0 Caps United (Zimbabwe)
Cote d’Or (Seychelles) 0-2 Saint George (Ethiopia)
Tusker (Kenya) 1-1 Port Louis (Mauritius)
Sony Ela Nguema (Equatorial Guinea) 0-1 El Merreikh (Sudan)
Wa All Stars (Ghana) 1-3 Ahly Tripoli (Libya)
Ngaya Club de Mde (Comoros) 1-5 Young Africans (Tanzania)
Barrack Young Controllers (Liberia) 1-0 Stade Malien (Mali)
Ports Authority (Gambia) 1-0 Sewe Sport (Cote d’Ivoire)
Coton Sport (Cameroon) 2-0 Atlabara (South Sudan)
AC Leopards (Congo) 1-0 UMS de Loum (Cameroon)