The world governing football body FIFA described Ahli versus AC Leopards of Congo in Dolisie as the game of the week at the African Champions League Cup. A 1-0 victory over the Congolese team revived the defending champions' hope in reaching the semi-final. Having seen their run of 23 matches unbeaten at home in the group phase of the competition ended on the last match day by Orlando Pirates when they were humiliated at home 4-0, the pressure was on Ahli to secure a win to stay in the Group A calculation. Ahli's task was always going to be difficult as they were away to AC Leopards, who themselves were on a 11-match unbeaten run at home in continental competitions. The Dolisie-based side were the stronger in the first half but failed to convert their chances, and they were made to be repentant their poor finishing as Ahli's Walid Suleiman gave the Red Devils the lead four minutes from the break. Leopards continued pushing forward in the second half, but Ahli's defence stood firm to give the defending champions their first win in the group phase. Atoning for failing to convert a penalty against Pirates, Suleiman ran on to a Mohamed Abu Treika pass and chipped the ball over the goalkeeper. Congolese midfielder Junior Mouzita proved a constant threat down the wings while coach Joseph Omog introduced two-metre Malian striker Arouna Drame without success. Ahli thus shocked 2012 CAF Confederation Cup winners Leopards, who beat Egyptians Zamalek two weeks ago earlier. Meanwhile in the same group, Orlando Pirates sent out a strong warning to the rest of clubs competing in the African club championship when they took apart a miserable and wretched Zamalek side 4-1 in the Orange CAF Champions League group stage match played at Orlando Stadium. Goals from Lennox Bacela, Tlou Segolela, Sifiso Myeni and Daine Klaite concluded a despondent and unhappy day for the Egyptian team. The White team tried to fight in the first half and showed some enthusiasm in the first half and it worked when they came back from a goal behind and leveled the score in the 29thminute through Mahmoud Abdel-RazeK or “Shikabala”. However, all hope of coming out of the historic area of Soweto with something vanished after the Buccaneers put up a vintage display which will send warning signals to the rest of Africa that the 1995 champions were up to challenge for honours. A jubilant Bucs coach Roger de Sa said in a post match press conference that he could not have asked more from his swashbuckling side. “This was a vintage performance and I am really proud of my boys. We are going for a return leg in Egypt very confident of repeating the same performance,” said a smiling De Sa whose side beat Egypt's other team in the competition Ahli 3-0 a fortnight ago in Cairo. “We are hitting good form at the right time and with this form, we can take on any team in the competition. We now need to continue fighting and fighting and I am beginning to have a feeling that we might have a campaign to remember this year.” Despite the defeat, Zamalek's assistant coach Osama Nabih is still optimistic and hopeful. He told reporters following the game that his team was missing key players but he is positive that they can still advance to the semi-finals with three games to play at home. “We were hampered by the absence of our key players who were not available but we are still in the running despite having a single point. We have three games to play and all of them are at home, so we have not lost hope and are very much hopeful of progressing to the semi-finals,” said Nabih. Pirates who had come out with guns blazing in the first half, took the lead in the 27th minute when Bacela shielded the defender on the edge of the box to fire a crisp shot that gave Zamalek goalkeeper Rehim no chance. The visitors hit back almost immediately when captain Fathalla's harsh shot gave Senzo Meyiwa in goal for Pirates no chance. The two sides then exchanged violent counter-attacks for the rest of the first half but all was to change in the second verse. First, Segolela collected a good pass from Bacela and finished with aplomb to give Bucs a 2-1 advantage. He then turned provider in the 69thminute but Bacela's effort was ruled offside. After that it was one way traffic as Myeni made it 3-1 with a close finish and Klaite compounded Zamalek's misery with the fourth in the 82nd minute. It was the first time Zamalek conceded four goals in a group game, and equalled the heaviest loss after a 3-0 drubbing from ASEC in Côte d'Ivoire. According to FIFA website, the result of the Pirates second home match in the competition was not so much a surprise as was the one-sided scoreline. “To grab four goals in the group phase of the Champions League is quite an achievement and to manage it against a club of the stature of five-time continental champions Zamalek makes it even more remarkable,” the website said. The giants of Orlando Pirates now top the standings with seven points followed by AC Leopards and Ahli who both have four points. Zamalek have just one point. Three games have been played; three are left. In other matches in Group B, the 2011 champions Esperance of Tunisia secured an important 1-0 victory in Ivory Coast against Sewe Sports. The lone goal came courtesy of midfielder Osama Darragi three minutes into the second half after he had been set up by Youcef Belaili, who went around his marker before pulling the ball back to the Tunisian international, who made no mistake from some 10 metres out. The Blood and Gold, however, were under severe pressure after going ahead, and the home side had several good opportunities to grab at least an equaliser. In the other group game, 2008 runners-up Coton Sport beat Recreativo do Libolo 2-1. Both goals for the Cameroonian side were scored after defensive lapses by the Angolan champions. Eighteen-year-old midfielder Alexis Yougouda, who scored Coton's winning goal against Sewe Sports a week ago, opened the scoring in the first half. Emmanuel Mbongo added a second after the break, before Ruben Gouveia pulled one back late in the game for the Angolans. Esperance and Cotton top Group A with six points, while Sewe Sports and Recreativo have three each. Esperance keeper Moez Ben Cherifia was named as the man of the week in all matches as he set an example that it is not only mature goalkeepers who can excel at the highest level. At 22 years old, the Tunisian international has already tasted success at the highest level, having helped Esperance to Champions League glory in 2011, conceding just six goals in the 14 matches they played. Against Sewe Sports, the custodian pulled off three spectacular saves to keep his sheet clean and give Esperance an important victory. Between them, Zamalek (5) and Ahli (7) have won the Champions League 12 times, but the two Cairo giants have conceded a shocking seven goals in two matches against 1995 champions Orlando Pirates. The Buccaneers secured a 3-0 win at Ahli on match day two and followed that up with a 4-1 win against Zamalek
