MAMELODI Sundowns, FAR Rabat and Zamalek all secured key first-leg victories in their respective CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup semi-final ties over the weekend, while USM Alger and Olympique Club de Safi played out a tense draw.
South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns produced a disciplined away performance to defeat Tunisia’s Espérance Sportive de Tunis 1-0 in Rades, placing them firmly in control ahead of the return leg in Pretoria on Saturday.
Brayan Leon scored the only goal of the game for Sundowns.
Elsewhere, Morocco’s FAR Rabat took a significant step towards the final with a commanding 2-0 victory over RS Berkane in an all-Moroccan semi-final in Rabat.
Second-half strikes from Ahmed Hammoudan and Khalid Ait Ourkhan handed the Royal Army a strong advantage, leaving Berkane with a challenging task in the return leg on Saturday.
In the CAF Confederation Cup, Egypt’s Zamalek earned a vital 1-0 away win over Algeria’s CR Belouizdad in Algiers.
Juan Bezerra’s first-half goal proved enough to separate the sides, with Zamalek demonstrating resilience under pressure to take a slender but important lead back to Cairo for the second leg on Friday.
The second semi-final between USM Alger and Olympique Club de Safi ended in a 0-0 draw in Algiers, leaving the tie finely balanced ahead of the return leg in Morocco on Sunday.
The CAF competitions have seen continuous increases in rewards in recent seasons, with a record total prize money of $48 million allocated for this season.
The winners of the CAF Champions League will receive a record $6 million, while CAF Confederation Cup winners will also receive record prize money of $4m.
RESULTS
CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Esperance 0-1 Mamelodi Sundowns
FAR Rabat 2-0 RS Berkane 0
CAF CONFEDERATION CUP
CR Belouizdad 0-1 Zamalek
USM Alger 0-0 Club de Safi
