Simba roar past Big Bullets, while CT City register maiden Champions League win
Simba‘s Lions of Tanzania roared past Nyasa Big Ballets 2-0 in a CAF Champions League preliminary round first-leg match played in Malawi, Lilongwe, on Saturday afternoon.
Moses Banda headed into the net early on the stroke of half-time before John Bocco sealed the win at Bingu National Stadium for Simba.
Bullets had conceded a freekick which Banda finished off with a glancing header for Simba’s opener.
The Malawi champions pushed for a goal but striker Babatunde Adepoju was denied clear sight of goal throughout the game.
The home team’s cause was not helped by the ineffectiveness of their skipper Chimwemwe Idana who struggled to find their passing range.
Left-back Precious Sambani came close to scoring with a header off a free-kick but he missed the target.
As Bullets pushed for the equaliser it was Simba‘s Bocco who delivered the hammer blow by scoring the second goal in the 82nd minute.
That proved to be the last highlight of the highly patronized game played in front of Lilongwe partisan crowd.
CT CITY OFF TO GOOD START
Meanwhile, Cape Town City won their first-ever CAF Champions League game as they beat Otoho d’Oyo 2-0 in the first leg of the preliminary round on Saturday afternoon at Athlone Stadium.
Both sides couldn’t be separated at half-time, but CT City played on the front foot in the second stanza.
The hosts scored the opening goal of the match seven minutes into the second half through Taahir Goedeman.
It didn’t take long for City to make it 2-0 as Marc van Heerden scored in the 57th minute.
The Cape side will head to Congo for the second leg next Sunday with a healthy lead.