Title holders Ahli kept their 100 per cent record in the group phase of the African Champions League intact when they beat Tunisia's Esperance 3-0 in Cairo. However, writes Abeer Anwar, Ismaili were not as good in front of Sudan's Merrikh in the Confederation Cup The encounter at Cairo International Stadium on Friday saw goals from Mohamed Abou- Treika, Flavio and Osama Hosni which kept Ahli on top of Group B with nine points, three ahead of second- placed Al-Hilal of Sudan. Boosted by the quick recovery of playmaker Abou-Treika and midfielder Mohamed Shawki, who both sustained minor injuries during training earlier in the week, Ahli players and Portuguese coach Manuel Jose were optimistic of the team�s chances against their depleted Tunisian opponents. Abou-Treika, who was doubtful for the game, opened the scoring with an intelligent chip goal in the 14th minute. Angolan striker Flavio doubled the lead 12 minutes into the second half. Substitute Hosni scored the third in the 85th minute with a precision shot from outside the penalty area. By that time, Esperance, the 1994 champions, had been bundled out of the game and, with just one point from three games, perhaps from the competition as a whole. Ahli will seal a semi-final place when they meet Esperance in Tunisia on 4 August. Ahli opened their mini-league campaign with a 2-0 home victory over Hilal and defeated former champions ASEC Mimosas of Abidjan 1-0 in the Ivory Coast two weeks ago. Ahli are also seeking to win the Champions League a record sixth time after successes in 1982, 1987, 2001, 2005 and last year brought them level with compatriots Zamalek. The club also wants to win the trophy for an unprecedented third consecutive time. "I am very satisfied with the team�s performance and I am sure we are taking big steps towards the final and retaining the title," Jose said after the match. Esperance had come into the match reeling after making three coaching changes in the last five weeks. Coach Faouzi Benzarti quit this week after only one match in charge to take over the Libyan national team. Also, captain and defender Moyin Chaabani was dropped for an undisclosed disciplinary reason. Another stalwart, Chakib Lackham, was ruled out because of injury. The team also lacked French-born defender Wissem Bekri, who was serving a one-match suspension after being cautioned twice in previous group matches. Esperance have yet to score a goal in their three group matches and are in serious danger of missing out on the other semi-final berth offered the top two finishers in the group, especially after Al-Hilal beat ASEC 2-1 on Sunday. The result leaves Esperance at the bottom of the group. Al-Hilal have six points and ASEC, former winners in 1998, have one point. In Group A, an early goal set up Tunisia's Etoile du Sahel for a comfortable 3-0 home win over JS Kabylie of Algeria on Saturday. The result maintained Etoile's unbeaten run in the group and kept the Tunisians on course for the semi-finals for the third time in four years. In the other Group A match also on Saturday, Morocco's FAR Rabat scored a dramatic injury time winner to secure their first points of their group campaign. But the controversial nature of the goal against Al-Ittihad of Libya set off a 10-minute fracas near the end of the match. Television replays showed Ouaddouch's goal to be legitimate and came just as FAR Rabat seemed condemned to a third successive group game without scoring. Nigerian referee Emmanuel Imiere was besieged by players and officials of the Libyan team at the final whistle and had to be rescued by security officials. FAR Rabat remain bottom of the standings while Al-Ittihad are second with four points from their first three matches. In the opening of the group phase of the Confederation Cup, Ismaili lost a golden chance to beat Sudan�s Merrikh in Ismailia on Sunday after drawing 1-1. Ismaili seemed to have won in the 81st minute when Motasim Salem powerfully headed home but Brazilian striker Paulina answered back with Merrikh�s direct kick equaliser in the 43rd minute. Ismaili�s performance was affected greatly by the absence of Sayed Moawad and Mohamed Fadl who were excluded only 24 hours before the match. Midfielder Hosni Abd Rabo was also missing because his status according to FIFA remains unclear after his return from French club Strasbourg. Ismaili also missed the guidance of their French coach Patrice Neuveau who underwent knee surgery in France. Neuveau was replaced by his assistant Fawzi Gamal. Merrikh�s coach, Otto Pfister, read Ismaili only too well, having previously coached another Egyptian club, Zamalek. Ismaili's next two games are in Nigeria against Kwara and 2005 finalists Dolphins. On Sunday, Dolphins beat Kwara 2-0 for the opening three points. In Group A, Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa staged a heroic comeback on Saturday to get their Confederation Cup group campaign off to a winning start. The Pretoria-based club wiped out a two-goal half-time deficit against TP Mazembe of the DR Congo to triumph 3- 2 with the winner coming four minutes into stoppage time. CS Sfaxien of Tunisia, unlucky losers to Ahli in the Champions League final last year, came from behind to draw 1-1 at Astres Douala of Cameroon in the other Group A clash.
