CS Sfaxien of Tunisia and Zamalek of Egypt secured crucial home wins over RS Berkane of Morocco and Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia respectively in the first legs of their CAF Confederation Cup semifinals.
Three-times winners CS Sfaxien secured a 2-0 win over Berkane at the Stade Taieb Mhiri in Sfax thanks to strikes from Ala Marzougui and Hamza Mathlouthi in each half.
CS Sfaxien’s head coach Ruud Krol was happy with the result but admitted that nothing was settled yet with the second leg to come in Morocco.
The Moroccans failed to land a single shot on target and will hope for an improved performance in the return leg.
“The qualification will be decided in Morocco, regardless of today’s result. The team that deserves to qualify will go through. We were keeping up with Sfaxien’s style of play in the first half but tried to change that later. There is still plenty of hope. It’s just us to prepare well for the next game,” Berkane head coach Mounir Jaouani said.
Zamalek, meanwhile, edged Etoile du Sahel 1-0 in a nervy game at the Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria. Mahmoud Abdel-Moneim Soliman netted for the Egyptians on 36 minutes.
The Egyptians dominated possession but chances were hard to come by in Alexandria as both teams mustered only three shots on target between them.
The second legs of the semifinals are scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 5.
RS Berkane and will host CS Sfaxien at the Stade Municipal de Berkane stadium in Berkane. Etoile du Sahel will welcome Zamalek at the Stade olympique de Sousse in Sousse.
