Algerian club Constantine produce CAF Cup surprise

Algerian club CS Constantine produced the surprise of matchday one in the CAF Confederation Cup by winning 1-0 away to record three-time title-holders CS Sfaxien in Tunisia on Wednesday.

The visiting team maintained a perfect record this season in the African equivalent of the Uefa Europa League thanks to an 81st-minute goal from Brahim Dib in Group A.

Constantine qualified for the group stage with home and away victories over Police of Rwanda and Nsoatreman of Ghana.

The other seven matches produced predictable outcomes with home teams, including current title-holders Zamalek of Egypt, winning all of them.

Other victors included former title-holders Renaissance Berkane of Morocco, Stade Malien of Mali and USM Alger of Algeria.

Constantine were the only one of six group debutants to avoid defeat, with Orapa United of Botswana taking a 6-0 hiding from USM in Algiers.

Individual scoring honours were shared by Algerian Ismail Belkacemi of USM, Egyptian Mahmoud Hamada of Al Masry and Burkinabe Issoufou Dayo of Berkane, who all bagged a brace.

Apart from Constantine, Simba of Tanzania were the only club to succeed by a single-goal margin with Ivorian Jean-Charles Ahoua converting the penalty that sank Bravos Maquis of Angola 1-0.

Bravos were also awarded a penalty, soon after halftime when trailing, but Guinea goalkeeper Moussa Camara saved from Nigerian Emmanuel Edmond.

It was a laboured performance in Dar es Salaam by Simba, who have lofty ambitions in a competition dominated by north Africans since 2018.

Zamalek, Berkane and fellow Moroccans Raja Casablanca have each lifted the trophy twice and USM Alger once in that time.

Among the matchday one losers were Enyimba of Nigeria, twice winners of the CAF Champions League, and Stellenbosch of South Africa.

Enyimba barely threatened going forward when going down 2-0 to Masry in Suez and Stellenbosch suffered defeat by the same scoreline to Malien in Bamako.