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Botswana's Jwaneng stun Wydad in CAF Champions League

wwe25 November 2023 22:17| © AFP
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Thabang Sesinyi © Backpage Pix

Thabang Sesinyi scored to give Jwaneng Galaxy of Botswana a stunning 1-0 away victory over Wydad Casablanca of Morocco on Saturday in a CAF Champions League first-round group match.

Sesinyi followed up scoring twice in qualifiers by netting on 33 minutes with a chip over goalkeeper Youssef el Motie after intercepting a weak back pass in Marrakesh.

It was the second setback for three-time African champions Wydad during November after losing the final of the inaugural African Football League to Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.

Jwaneng upset Vipers of Uganda and Orlando Pirates of South Africa this season to reach the 16-team group stage of the premier African club competition.

But the minnows were given no chance of preventing annual Champions League title contenders Wydad starting their Group B campaign with a victory.

When the Botswana outfit reached the group stage once before in 2022, they struggled and secured only one point from a possible 18.

Victory for Jwaneng took them to the top of the table, two points ahead of Simba of Tanzania and ASEC Mimosas of the Ivory Coast, who drew 1-1 in Dar es Salaam.

Burundian Saidi Ntibazonkiza converted a penalty just before halftime for the hosts and Serge Pokou equalised on 77 minutes with his third goal of the campaign.

Champions League title-holders and record 11-time winners Al Ahly of Egypt clicked in the second half to defeat group debutants Medeama of Ghana 3-0 in Cairo.

Mahmoud Kahraba and substitute Salah Mohsen scored off second-half headers and, between those goals, Hussein el Shahat netted with an angled shot.

Ahly share first place in Group D with Chabab Belouizdad of Algeria, who overcame Young Africans of Tanzania 3-0 in Algiers on Friday.

Esperance ended an 11-match unbeaten run in all competitions by fellow Tunisian outfit Etoile Sahel with a 2-0 Group C win in Rades through goals by Brazilian Yan Sasse and Yassine Meriah.

Petro Luanda of Angola edged Al Hilal of Sudan 1-0 in the other Group C match with Inacio Miguel the 37th-minute matchwinner.

Matchday one finishes on Sunday when Sundowns host Nouadhibou of Mauritania in Group A in Pretoria.

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