FUS Rabat claim important first leg victory in TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup

Moroccan club FUS Rabat earned a 3-0 home win over Benin side AS Loto in the first leg of their TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round tie on Sunday.

The hosts applied pressure from the outset at Moulay El Hassan Stadium, taking the lead when Loto's Ibrahim Imray scored an own goal under pressure.

Loto struggled to create chances against FUS Rabat's organised defence, conceding again in the 27th minute to trail 2-0 at half-time.

After the break, FUS Rabat won a penalty but Hamza Hanuri's effort was saved by the Loto goalkeeper.

Despite attempts to add to their tally, FUS Rabat had to wait until stoppage time to make it 3-0 through substitute Shuaib Maftoul.

The comfortable first leg victory gives the Moroccan club a strong advantage heading into the return fixture in Benin next weekend.

Meanwhile in other matches played on Sunday, Ethiopian club Bahir Dar Kenema claimed a 2-1 home win over Tanzanian side Azam FC.

In an away trip to Tunisia, Libyan club Abu Salem edged past Olympique Beja 1-0 at Stade Boujemaa-Kmiti.

Watanga FC of Liberia suffered a 3-1 home defeat to Malian opponents Stade Malien. Togolese club Etoile Filante held Casa Sport of Senegal to a 1-1 draw.

Angolan team Academica Lobito left it late but eventually defeated Seychelles' La Passe FC 2-1.

The first leg results leave some teams with advantages heading into the return fixtures, while others face uphill tasks to keep their Confederation Cup dreams alive.

The second legs will take place next weekend, where the winners on aggregate will book a place in the play-off round.