Leopards make a point in African Champions League opener

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Congolese club AC Leopards lived a charmed life in defence and held out for a potentially vital away point at South Africa's Orlando Pirates on Saturday at the start of the African Champions league campaign.





The Group A game at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto ended goalless despite plenty of good chances for the home club, who missed three close range opportunities and had a Lennox Bacela header cleared off the line in the second half.

Leopards, a second division outfit in Congo just four years ago from the provincial town of Dolisie, continued their remarkable run in continental competition.

Last year they upset the form book to win the African Confederation Cup and kept up their giant killing run in the preliminary rounds of this year's Champions League by eliminating more fancied opposition from Algeria and Nigeria.

Saturday's Group A opener is followed on Sunday by the first game in Group B when Recreativo Libolo of Angola host last year's runner-up Esperance.

Two other matches have been postponed.

The Egyptian derby between Al Ahli and Zamalek is now Wednesday and the match between Coton Sport of Cameroon and Sewe Sport of the Ivory Coast is held over while the Cameroon federation are suspended by FIFA.

(Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Alan Baldwin)


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