CAF Champions League: TP Mazembe and Nouadhibou bounce back, Wydad and Etoile Sahel suffer setbacks

TP Mazembe win the showdown with Sundowns

This was the standout fixture of matchday 2 in the CAF Champions League. TP Mazembe hosted Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday 2 November. The Congolese club won 1-0. Les Corbeaux were put ahead by Glody Likonza on the hour mark (60th minute). The Congolese side then held on to their one-goal lead until the final whistle.

With this win over a direct rival for a place in the second round, TP Mazembe are back in the hunt. The storied Congolese club had lost 1-0 to Pyramids FC on matchday one.

Heroic win for Nouadhibou over Pyramids

In the same group as TP Mazembe and Mamelodi Sundowns, FC Nouadhibou needed to deliver at home against Pyramids FC. The Mauritanians had lost 3-0 to the South Africans on matchday one. And they did not need asking twice. The Mauritanian champions beat the Egyptian club by a 2-goal margin (2-0). They opened the scoring in the 4th minute before sealing the win in second-half stoppage time (90+4).

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Nouadhibou thus collected three precious points despite playing a good part of the match with ten men. Demini Saleck was sent off in the 48th minute. The Mauritanian club still got their campaign up and running and sit 3rd in a group on 3 points. They host TP Mazembe (2nd) on matchday 3 on 9 December.

A bad day for Etoile Sahel

Beaten by ES Tunis (2-0) on matchday one of the CAF Champions League, Etoile Sahel had a chance to bounce back against Petro Luanda on Saturday 2 December. The Tunisian club failed to take it. Worse, they lost at home to the Angolans (0-2). The Tunisians were punished twice by Alexandre Guedes. The Portuguese striker first scored in first-half stoppage time (45+4). He struck again just after the hour mark (67th minute).

With two defeats in as many games, the Tunisian club are struggling to get going and sit 4th. It is an awkward position, with today's opponents taking top spot in the group on 6 points. Al Hilal and ES Tunis are 2nd and 3rd respectively on goal difference.

Wydad fall again

Things are not improving for Wydad AC at the start of their CAF Champions League campaign. The Moroccans stumbled again after their defeat to AS FAR (3-1) on matchday one. This time it was ASEC Mimosas who got the better of Wydad (1-0). Away in Côte d'Ivoire, the Moroccan club went down after conceding with 18 minutes left to play (72nd minute).

Coming on as a substitute, Sankara William Karamoko scored the only goal of the game to put his side on the right track. With this win, ASEC have 4 points and lead Group B, level on points with Jwaneng Galaxy. The Botswana club were held at home by Simba SC (0-0).