ES Zarzis mark continental return with 3-1 win as TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round begins
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ES Zarzis made an impressive return to continental competition after 20 years as they came from behind to beat Senegal’s Diambars 3-1 in the first leg of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round on Friday.
The Tunisian side, making their first appearance in the competition since 2006, recovered from conceding in the 13th minute to establish a useful two-goal advantage ahead of the return leg.
Diambars stunned the hosts by taking an early lead, but Zarzis responded before the interval when Khalil Al-Qassab equalised in the 35th minute.
Al-Qassab struck again 11 minutes after the restart to put Zarzis ahead before Samba added a third in the 70th minute, completing the turnaround and giving the Tunisian club a strong platform for next week’s second leg.
The victory provided an encouraging start for Zarzis as they seek to make an impact on their long-awaited return to African club football.
Elsewhere, several of Friday’s opening matches remained finely balanced ahead of the return fixtures.
Chad’s AS PSI and Côte d’Ivoire’s CO Korhogo shared four goals in a 2-2 draw, leaving their tie wide open.
Cameroon’s Panthère were held 1-1 by Rwanda’s Rayon Sport, while Mauritius side Port Louis also drew 1-1 with Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy.
Sudan’s Hilal Alsahil secured one of the other victories of the day, edging Ethiopian debutants Welwalo Adigrat 2-1.
The preliminary round is being played from 4-6 September, with the return legs scheduled for the following week as clubs battle to continue their journey towards the group stage.
The 2026/27 competition features 17 debutants alongside established names and returning clubs, with the opening round already producing several closely contested ties.
Friday’s results
AS PSI (Chad) 2-2 CO Korhogo (Côte d’Ivoire)
ES Zarzis (Tunisia) 3-1 Diambars (Senegal)
Panthère (Cameroon) 1-1 Rayon Sport (Rwanda)
Port Louis (Mauritius) 1-1 Jwaneng Galaxy (Botswana)
