African leagues round-up: Tight at the top in Zambia

African football is alive every weekend with exciting league action around the continent and our weekly round-up of league action highlights a selection of the most important results

ZAMBIA
Only two points separate the top five teams in the Super League as the leading clubs stuttered and stumbled ahead of a three-week festive season break. ZESCO United were held to a goalless draw at home in Ndola by NAPSA Stars on Sunday and have now won only two of their last 10 league games but still sit on top of the table with 32 points from 18 games. Just below them are four teams on 30 points, including defending champions Red Arrows in fifth. They were held to a 0-0 draw by mid-table Green Buffaloes in Sunday’s military derby in Lusaka. Nkana FC are in second place but were also in a goalless stalemate at third-from-bottom Lumwana Radiants. Third-placed Kabwe Warriors lost at home to fourth-placed Green Eagles on Saturday as Simon Mulenga and Amity Shamende were on target for the visitors. There was a first win of the season at the 18th attempt for bottom side Indeni FC on Sunday as they claimed a 3-2 victory at fellow strugglers Zanaco in Lusaka. But Indeni, who have six points, remain firm rooted to the bottom of the table, 10 points adrift of second-from-bottom Forest Rangers.

DR CONGO
AC Rangers kept their noses ahead in Group B of the two-table Linafoot title race as they held off the effort of AS Vita Club to topple them from the top, keeping up a one-point advantage after a 1-1 draw in Kinshasa on Saturday. Héritier Luvumbu had Vita ahead at halftime but Rangers scrambled a last minute equaliser from Bisalu Matumona. It ended a run of four successive league wins for the former African champions, who earlier this season were eliminated from the CAF Confederation Cup before the group phase. But Vita do have two matches in hand over Rangers. Maniema Union sit third in the standings, three points behind Rangers but with four games in hand because of their participation in the group phase of the CAF Champions League. Kinshasa giants Daring Club Motema Pembe came from behind to beat OC Renaissance on Sunday for only a third league win of the season. In Group A, FC St Eloi Lupopo went six points clear at the summit after a 3-0 away win over bottom team Panda 52. Djo Issama scored twice in Sunday’s game in Kikula. TP Mazembe, who are also participate in the CAF Champions League, are eight points behind St Eloi Lupopo but with three fixtures still to catch up.

TUNISIA
Four goals were shared in Sunday’s Tunis derby as Esperance and Club Africain played out a 2-2 draw, leaving Monastir still top of the Ligue 1 standings. Club Africain had a chance to go top had they won the clash at the Stade Olympique Hammadi-Agrebi but the stalemate saw them move to 25 points, one behind the leaders. Esperance are in fifth spot, six points adrift but with a game in hand. Monastir were 1-0 winners at struggling Soliman on Friday where their Tunisian international striker Hazem Mastouri scored an 81st minute winner. CA Bizertin lifted themselves out of the relegation zone as they also won 1-0 on Friday with a late minute penalty ensuring success over fellow strugglers EGS Gafsa. Etoile Sahel were the weekend’s most convincing winners as they beat JS Omrane 3-0 in Sousse on Sunday to move up to sixth spot level on points with arch-rivals Esperance.

SIERRA LEONE
The new season opened at the weekend with a shock for defending champions Bo Rangers as they lost to Freetown City Council in the capital on Sunday. FCC stunned with a third minute goal from Ibrahim Sorie Kamara but Suffian Kalokoh equalised from the penalty spot in the 35th minute. It was Mohamed Alie Mansaray who struck an 87th minute winner to see FCC, who only escaped relegation at the end of last season on goal difference, make a positive start to the new campaign. The 2024/25 campaign kicked off on Friday with Luawa winning 1-0 at Bai Bureh Warriors in Port Loko while Freetonians SLIFA were also victors over Star Sport, also by a lone goal.

TANZANIA
Young Africans won the only fixture of the Ligi Kuu Bara at the weekend as they caught up on their league programme after involvement in the CAF Champions League. Picking up from their morale boosting point gained against TP Mazembe in Lubumbashi last weekend, Yanga proved 4-0 winners over Tanzania Prisons in their clash Dar-es-Salaam and are now a single point behind arch rivals Simba.