5 - 11 April 2001
Issue No.528
|
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 5 - 11 April 2001 Issue No.528 |
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Bright and dark
A power failure forced Zamalek to play in the dark before the match was cancelled. But there was brighter news for Ahli and Ismaili in other African football club competitions, reports Abeer Anwar
Two power failures forced a replay of the African Cup Winners Cup match in Khartoum between Al-Hilal of Sudan and Egyptian defending champions Zamalek. The home team was leading 1-0 until the 50th minute when a floodlight tower at one corner of the field went out at Omdourman Stadium. The electricity returned 40 minutes later. But another electrical failure five minutes into the second half forced Eritrian referee Sadah Dali to cancel the game and have it replayed after 48 hours, giving the guests the chance to start from square one.
A Red Sea defender executes a split to thwart Khaled Bibo
photo: Amr Gamal
Al-Hilal scored the match's sole goal in the fifth minute through Omar Angaeji who received Khalid's Bekhit well-executed cross and fired the ball into the back of the net.
The same player came close to doubling his team's lead twice in the first half but his close efforts were kept at bay by Zamalek defence.
Zamalek mounted a vigorous attack in an attempt to equalise and had several scoring chances through Tareq El-Said and Abdel-Halim Ali that brought the best out of in-form keeper Ahmed Al-Nour.
In the same tournament, Egypt's cup holders Ismaili fought out a 1-1 away draw against Mathare United of Kenya in a first-leg, first round encounter in Nairobi.
Simon Mulama put the hosts ahead in the 37th minute before veteran striker Mohamed Abu Greisha levelled for Ismaili two minutes into the second half.
Ismaili attacked from the start. Nigerian striker John Otaka was about to move things ahead for the guests twice early on but was denied by the Kenyan defence.
Mathare pulled up its socks as the half went on. George Nediamogoing came close when his shot hit the post in the 21st minute. Mathare's pressure bore fruit in the 36th minute when striker Moulama scored the go-ahead goal, taking a clever left side cross and blasting the ball home.
Ismaili pulled off the equaliser two minutes into the second half when Abu Greisha took advantage of a defensive blunder and walked in on goal totally unmarked.
"We did an exceptional job in terrible weather conditions," Ismaili coach Mohsen Saleh said, referring to rain that did not let up throughout the game. "I'm happy with the result and I don't think we will face any problems in the second-leg match," he added.
Known as the Dervishes, Ismaili is looking for its second African trophy in more than 30 years. It beat Zaire's Engleberre in 1969 to become the first Egyptian team to capture the African Champions League. Last season, the club reached the CAF Cup final, losing to Algeria's Sahaba Kabile on the away goals rule.
In other African Cup Winners Cup matches, Ivory Coast's Stade Abidjan beat Niger's Olympic FC 2-0 and Tunisia's Afrique drew with Senegal's Bordi Dakar 1-1 in Dakar.
In the African Champions League first round, first leg matches, Egypt's Ahli, seeking its first Champions League crown in 14 years, kicked off its campaign with a 3-0 home victory over Red Sea of Eritrea. All three goals were scored in the first half and a rout was in the making. But the attack sputtered in the second, the squad apparently satisfied with the result.
Esperance of Tunisia and South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns, both serious contenders for the African Champions League title, made mediocre starts in their first round, first leg matches at home this weekend.
Last year's beaten finalists Esperance managed only one goal against unheralded Jeunesse Tenere of Niger and faces a tricky away leg in Niamey in a fortnight.
Sundowns, held to a goalless draw at home in Pretoria on Sunday by Costa do Sol from neighbouring Mozambique, will also have its work cut out in the return match.
Esperance and Sundowns fought for a place in last year's Champions League final with Esperance edging Sundowns on goal difference in its group to qualify for the two-legged decider which it lost to Hearts of Oak of Ghana.
Ali Zitouni, who played in last year's final, scored Esperance's goal against Tenere in Saturday night's tie at the Al-Menzah Stadium in Tunis.
Defending champions Hearts of Oak had its first leg match at home to Etoile du Congo postponed for a week because it had players competing for Ghana's under-20 team in the final of the African championship in Addis Ababa.
Former champions ASEC Abidjan and Raja Casablanca both had home wins on Sunday. The Ivorians beat Stade Malien 2-0, while Raja beat USFA, the army club from Burkina Faso, by the same scoreline.
Uganda's Sports Club Villa beat Burundi's Vital 2- O. Nigeria's Julius Berger blasted Equatorial Guinea's Sony Ela Nguema 5-0. Ivory Coast's ASEC Abidjan defeated Mali's Stade Malien 2-0 in Abidjan. In Africa's third club competition, the CAF Cup, Madagascar's Jirama FC lost to Mozambique 3-0 in a first leg match played in Antananarivo, Madagascar. Morocco's Royal Army beat Libya's Helal 2-0 in Rabat.
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise! |
WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg |
 Al-Ahram Organisation |
Recommend this page