Tanzanian clubs get vital results away from home, Etoile du Sahel edge AS FAR

The first legs of the second preliminary round of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League produced some interesting results on Saturday, as the quest for a place in the group stages continues for clubs chasing continental glory. 

Tanzanian clubs, Young Africans and Simba AC will be happy with how their travels went after Young Africans walked away with a 2-0 victory over Al Merreikh in Sudan while Simba secured a hard-fought draw in Zambia against Power Dynamos. 

A goal at the hour mark by Zambian striker, Kennedy Musonda plus a sublime finish by 19-year-old Clement Mzize ensured the Tanzanian champions, Young Africans go home with a comfortable two-goal cushion lead.

In Zambia, Power Dynamos played host to another Tanzanian giant in Simba SC in a highly entertaining four-goal thriller that concluded in a 2-2 draw, a result the Tanzanians will comfortably take home ahead of the return leg. 

Looking up north, an intense battle ensued in Tunisia when Etoile du Sahel hosted Morocco’s AS Far. 

The evenly balanced encounter looked destined for a draw until Hamza Jlassi’s thunderbolt header secured the all-important victory in the 66^th minute for the Tunisians ahead of their trip to Morocco in two weeks’ time.

In Mali, AS Real Bamako will be disappointed with their showing after Nouadhibou of Mauritania outclassed them at home with a 3-0 victory, making the return leg an uphill task for the Malians. 

The TotalEnergies CAF Champions League second preliminary round action continues with some appetizing fixtures on Sunday as the race to a group stage place intensifies.