ES Zarzis made a strong return to continental competition after 20 years. They came back from behind to beat Senegal’s Diambars 3-1 in the first leg of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round on Friday. This was their first appearance in the competition since 2006.
Diambars surprised the home team by scoring first in the 13th minute. However, Zarzis equalised just before halftime, with Khalil Al-Qassab scoring in the 35th minute.
Al-Qassab then scored again 11 minutes into the second half, giving Zarzis the lead. Samba added a third goal in the 70th minute, securing a two-goal advantage for Zarzis before the return leg.
This win gives Zarzis a good start as they aim to make a mark in African club football after a long absence. In other matches, several games ended with close scores. Chad’s AS PSI and Côte d’Ivoire’s CO Korhogo played to a 2-2 draw, keeping their matchup open.
Cameroon’s Panthère drew 1-1 with Rwanda’s Rayon Sport, while Mauritius’s Port Louis also ended 1-1 against Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy.
Sudan’s Hilal Alsahil won one of the day’s matches, defeating Ethiopian debutants Welwalo Adigrat 2-1.
The preliminary round runs from September 4 to 6, with return legs scheduled for the following week as teams aim to move towards the group stage. The 2026/27 competition includes 17 debutants alongside established clubs, and the opening round has already shown many closely contested games.
Friday’s results
- AS PSI (Chad) 2-2 CO Korhogo (Côte d’Ivoire)
- ES Zarzis (Tunisia) 3-1 Diambars (Senegal)
- Panthère (Cameroon) 1-1 Rayon Sport (Rwanda)
- Port Louis (Mauritius) 1-1 Jwaneng Galaxy (Botswana)
- Hilal Alsahil (Sudan) 2-1 Welwalo Adigrat (Ethiopia)
