Tunisia’s Esperance and South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns kicked off their African Champions League group stage with wins while five-time winners TP Mazembe were held to a draw on Saturday.
Esperance, Champions League winners in 2018 and 2019, survived a scare after securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Senegalese debutants FC Teungueth.
Gambian Gibril Sillah gave Teungueth a shock 32nd-minute lead after finishing off a counter attack but Yassine Khenissi brought the hosts level on the stroke of halftime after converting a penalty.
Abdul Khalid Basit netted the winner for Esperance in the 73rd minute after heading home a cross from Ali Ben Romdhane.
Esperance went top of Group D with three points, two ahead of Egypt’s Zamalek and MC Alger, who played out a 0-0 draw in Cairo on Friday.
In Group B, 2016 champions Sundowns defeated Sudan’s Al-Hilal 2-0 at home, thanks to a 10th-minute goal from Mosa Lebusa and a strike from Kermit Erasmus in stoppage time.
In the same group, DR Congo’s Mazembe were held to a 0-0 draw by Algeria’s CR Belouizdad at their Lubumbashi fortress, having wasted some easy chances.
