At Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday night, AS Maniema Union held Mamelodi Sundowns to a 0-0 draw, forcing them to settle for a point in their CAF Champions League Group B opener.
On matchday 2, Manqoba Mngqithi’s team will travel to Morocco to play AS FAR.
The Green and Blacks will welcome Raja Casablanca at Kinshasa’s Stade des Martyrs.
Maniema Union wanted to make a strong first impression in the group stages of Africa’s top club competition, while the Brazilians were hoping to recover from their heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Magesi in the Carling Knockout final on Saturday.
Masandawana seized the lead early on and made their first danger in the sixteenth minute when Lucas Ribeiro curled a shot that caused Bridel Efonge to make a save, and Marcelo Allende’s volley from inside the box just missed the mark.
After some excellent link-up play with Arthur Sales, Ribeiro shot just wide of the goal five minutes later, and Efonge did well to push Teboho Mokoena’s free-kick over the crossbar at the half hour mark.
The visitors managed to keep the score at zero at halftime, but they soon found themselves under pressure once more in the second half as Edwin Saavedra missed the mark with his first-time attempt on the 48th minute.
In the 53rd minute, Efonge made a brilliant stop to deny Sales at close range, and ten minutes later, he had to block an effort from Thapelo Morena.
When Ribeiro brushed the woodwork with an effort from the edge of the box in the 88th minute, he came just short of ending the draw.
