Going across

An early goal was enough to give Egyptian side Zamalek three points to beat Dynamos Harare, while Ahli were satisfied with a goalless draw with ASEC Mimosas, Ahmed Morsy reports

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Ahli and Asec played to a scoreless draw in Abidjan

In their first Group A away outing in the African Champions League, Ahli gained a precious point after their scoreless match with ASEC Mimosas in Abidjan on Saturday. However, the Egyptian champions were lucky to snatch this valuable point after being outplayed in every aspect of the game.

Ahli was surprisingly outshone by ASEC in the first half as the hosts squandered several clear-cut chances to open the scoring. Meanwhile, Ahli's defenders failed to deal with ASEC's speedy forwards. Midway through the first half, ASEC's lively striker Zoro Cyriac ghosted behind Ahli's backline to collect a deft pass and go through to goal.

His low shot eluded keeper Amir Abdel-Hamid but narrowly missed the target.

The Ivorians kept pushing forward while Ahli sat back to thwart their opponents' attacking waves. After that goalkeeper Abdel-Hamid made a series of superb saves to keep his net clear.

In the second half, Ahli greatly improved after having a more attacking approach and succeeded in pushing down the tempo by spreading their game style. Ahli coach Manuel Jose introduced defensive midfielder Moataz Eno in a bid to help his team gain control over midfield.

The substitution proved to be an effective one as Eno intercepted many passes in midfield and appeared in a good shape. Nevertheless, ASEC still remained in control and had several powerful shots denied by the in-form Abdel-Hamid.

Jose blamed external forces for Ahli's failure to put in a convincing display since they were disturbed after an exhausting journey to Abidjan. It took them approximately 30 hours to arrive in Ivory Coast's largest city. Besides, to rub salt into the wounds, Ahli found out that they will face ASEC on an artificial turf as Stade Felix Houphouet- Boigny was being renovated.

"Our exhausting trip to Abidjan made the match difficult for us," the Portuguese coach was quoted by the club's official website. "We could have played much better than we did but it was even harder to play on an artificial turf. However, although I hoped my team would get a win today, a draw is not bad. We will be looking forward now to our next Champions League encounter against Dynamos Harare."

On the other hand, Zamalek beat Dynamos of Zimbabwe 1-0 in the same group of the African Champions League in Cairo on Sunday. Defender Amr El-Safti put Zamalek ahead in the fourth minute, pouncing on a loose ball following a corner that the Dynamos defence was unable to clear away.

Zamalek were desperate to claim the full three points after their 2-1 defeat to arch-rivals Ahli in Group A opener last month. Nonetheless, the Cairo giants breathed a sigh of relief after gaining their first three points. They also needed to return to winning ways following another loss at the hands of Ahli in the Egyptian Super Cup two weeks ago.

However, they couldn't add more goals and were even threatened by Zimbabwe's Dynamos in the latter stages of the game. But the final whistle brought an ecstatic reaction from Zamalek fans, who feared that their side would stumble once again.

Dynamos had caused a huge upset by knocking 2007 Champions League winners Etoile du Sahel out of the tournament two months ago.

Zamalek, who did well enough for victory, played without injured Ghana striker Junior Agogo.

Zamalek moved to the second spot in the group with three points, one behind Cairo neighbours Ahli. Dynamos also have three points while Ivory Coast's ASEC Mimosas lie at the bottom with just one point.

Regarding the next encounters, Ahli is scheduled to host Dynamos in Cairo in the 15th of August while Zamalek clash against ASEC Mimisas also in Cairo in the following day. As for Group B, Sudanese side Al-Hilal remain top of Group B following their away goalless draw to TP Mazembe on Saturday.

The DR Congo club were hoping to take advantage of the partisan crowd in Lubumbashi to get their first group win but the visitors held firm. The result keeps Al-Hilal on top of the group with four points.

Meanwhile, Nigerian club Enyimba put their campaign back on track with an impressive 2-0 home win over Coton Sport of Cameroon on Sunday.

The win moves Enyimba into second place in Group B with three points, following their 3-2 defeat away to Al-Hilal of Sudan in their opening game. Coton Sport also have three points while TP Mazembe lie at the bottom with just one point.

Al-Hilal will meet on Coton Sport in Sudan in the next round while the Nigerian side Enyimba host TP Mazembe.