Late goals spoil South Sudan club debut - Business Recorder (blog)

JOHANNESBURG: El Nasir became the first South Sudan club to compete in a CAF competition this weekend, but they conceded a couple of late goals to lose 3-1 at Azam of Tanzania in the Confederation Cup.

Ivorian Kipre Tchetche was the dream-wrecker as he gave Azam the lead for the second time in Dar es Salaam on 80 minutes and added a third deep in stoppage time at the 60,000-seat national stadium.

Abdi Kassim put the Tanzanians ahead 14 minutes into the preliminary round, first leg game and Jacob Osulo levelled on the half-hour mark for the visitors from South Sudan capital Juba.

The clubs clash again in early March with El Nasir enjoying home advantage and the goal they scored in Dar es Salaam offers some hope of overturning the first-leg deficit.

Gor Mahia, who shocked Esperance of Tunisia to lift the now defunct African Cup Winners Cup in 1987, were surprisingly held 0-0 in Nairobi by ANSE Reunion from minor football nation the Seychelles.

A three-man Gor attack could not break down the well organised ANSE defence and the Nairobi club were reduced to 10 men when Teddy Akumu was red carded for fouling Yavany Rose.

Stalemates were common with Gaborone United of Botswana and Liga Muculmana of Mozambique drawing 2-2, while Stella of Ivory Coast and Onze Createurs of Mali drew 1-1, as did Rail Kadiogo of Burkina Faso and Sahel of Niger.

Panthere Nde of Cameroon built a 2-0 lead over Elect Sport of Chad in a competition won for the last three years by a club that had to play in the preliminary phase.

FUS Rabat came through to win the second-tier competition in 2010, fellow Moroccans Moghreb Fes succeeded them as title-holders, and AC Leopards from Congo Brazzaville went all the way last year.