CAF Champions League: Biggest winners and losers from the opening weekend
· The South African
The CAF Champions League first preliminary round delivered a mix of big wins, surprise results and closely contested encounters as clubs across Africa began their push for a place in the next stage.
With the second legs scheduled for 11–13 September, several teams have already put themselves in strong positions, while others face a difficult fight to keep their continental campaigns alive.
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CAF Champions League: Biggest winners
Wiliete SC produced one of the weekend’s biggest statements, thrashing Foresters FC 4-0.
Gilberto opened the scoring before Mabululu took centre stage with a hat-trick, leaving the Angolan side with a commanding advantage ahead of the second leg.
Maghreb Fez were equally impressive, defeating Rahimo 4-1 in Morocco.
Four different players found the net for the hosts as they established a sizeable first-leg advantage.
Egyptian giants Pyramids FC also strengthened their qualification hopes with an impressive 2-0 away victory over Kenyan champions Gor Mahia.
Walid El Karti opened the scoring early before Mahmoud Saber doubled Pyramids’ advantage before half-time, leaving Gor Mahia with a major challenge in the return fixture.
Al Hilal Omdurman were another big winner, securing a 2-0 away victory over Aigle Noir in Burundi.
TP Mazembe also returned from Ghana with a valuable 1-0 victory over Medeama, while Simba SC claimed a 1-0 away win against Malawi’s Mighty Wanderers.
Scottland make their mark
Zimbabwean debutants Scottland FC also made a winning start to their continental campaign, defeating Eswatini’s Nsingizini Hotspurs 1-0.
Neville Tengeg scored the decisive goal in the 68th minute to give Scottland a narrow advantage heading into the return leg.
The Zimbabwean side will now look to protect that lead and secure a place in the next round of the CAF Champions League.
CAF Champions League: Biggest losers
For Gor Mahia, the 2-0 home defeat was particularly damaging. The Kenyan champions now need a major turnaround against Pyramids in the second leg.
Foresters FC face an even tougher task after their 4-0 defeat to Wiliete, while Rahimo’s 4-1 loss to Maghreb Fez leaves the Burkinabe side needing a remarkable comeback.
Orlando Pirates, meanwhile, were held to a goalless draw by La Cure Waves in Mauritius.
The South African champions dominated much of the encounter but could not find the breakthrough, leaving the tie finely balanced ahead of the decisive second leg in Soweto.
CAF Champions League: Several ties remain wide open
Not every first-leg encounter produced a clear advantage.
Vipers SC and Nouadhibou played out a 1-1 draw, while San Pedro drew 1-1 with Rivers United.
There were also 1-1 draws between Gaborone United and Young Africans and ASC Kara and ASEC Mimosas, leaving all four ties delicately poised ahead of the return fixtures.
With the second legs just days away, the first preliminary round has already produced plenty of intrigue.
For teams such as Wiliete, Pyramids and Maghreb Fez, the task now is to finish the job. For the likes of Gor Mahia, Foresters and Rahimo, a major turnaround will be required to keep their CAF Champions League dreams alive.