TotalEnergies Confed Cup: Zamalek fall to Arta Solar, Maputo win at home

The Azam Sport Complex was filled with astonishment as Djibouti’s Arta Solar stunned Egyptian giants, Zamalek with a 2-0 first leg win in the second preliminary round of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup on Saturday afternoon.

In what was an unexpected result, Juan Carlos Osorio’s men failed to trouble the Djibouti side who were only playing their third game of the tournament. 

The highly spirited Arta Solar made their intentions clear as early as the 5^th minute when the young defensive midfielder, Warsama Hassan's shot struck the crossbar as the first warning sign of what was to come.

Minutes after, Gabriel Dadzie took advantage of a lapse of concentration in the Zamalek defense by pouncing on a ball to fire it home with a well struck effort to officially open the scoring. 

The Egyptians tried getting back into the game but were met by a resolute Arta Solar defence who would not let anything go past them. 

While searching for the leveller, the Egyptians exposed themselves at the back and were punished by Doualeh Elabeh who made it 2-0 to stun the 2019 champions ahead of the return leg in Cairo on 29 September.

In the other match, Club Ferrovairio Maputo beat Sagrada Esperança by the slimmest of margins with a  1-0 victory at home, courtesy of a 88^th minute header by Joao Pedro Mussica.

The return match between the two side will take place on 30 September at the Estadio Nacional de Tundavala National Stadium in Lubango, Angola.