29.02.2016 13:18 h

Enyimba strike back against Vipers in Champions League

Seven-time Nigeria champions Enyimba and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa overcame first leg losses to qualify for the first round of the Champions League at the weekend.

Striker Mfon Udoh, who missed Enyimba's first leg visit to Vipers a fortnight ago, scored twice for the Nigeria champions to advance on a 2-1 aggregate to the first round, where they will face Vital 'O of Burundi next month.

Before Sunday's game, Enyimba had only managed three goals in their last eight matches.

"We are first relieved that we were able to put away our chances against Vipers. We have been playing well and creating many chances, but we have struggled to convert those chances," said Enyimba skipper Chinedu Udoji.

"They tested us, but we were the better team and deserved to qualify to the next round," added two-goal hero Udoh

South Africa's Sundowns will face AC Leopards of Congo in the first round of the competition, but they had to wait till deep into stoppage time for Katlego Mashego to tuck away a penalty and eliminate hard-fighting Chicken Inn from Zimbabwe.

South Africa's other representatives, Kaizer Chiefs, are also through to the Champions League first round after they walked over Volcan after they won the first encounter 4-0 in the Comoros Islands.

Amakhosi, as the South Africa champions are known by their fans (it means Chiefs in Zulu), have now set up an interesting clash against Ivory Coast legends ASEC Mimosas. They laboured to see off CotonTchad from Chad 1-0 on aggregate after they were held to a scoreless draw in Abidjan at the weekend.

The preliminary round second leg match between Niger's AS Douanes and Wydad Casablanca from Morocco has been postponed after a strike at the Niamey airport.

Angola's Recreativo Libolo will be one of the teams to watch in the first round after they posted the biggest win of the preliminary round as they trounced Racing Micomeseng from Equatorial Guinea 9-1 aggregate.

Mamadou Diawara fired a hat-trick at Racing Micomeseng for the Angolans, who face a daunting task in the next round against eight-time champions Al Ahly of Egypt.

Zambia's Zesco United, Etoile of Congo, Olympique Khouribga from Morocco, Stade Malien of Mali and Guinea's Horoya have also progressed to the round of 32 of the Champions League.

Defending champions TP Mazembe, Etoile du Sahel from Tunisia, Algeria's ES Setif as well as Sudan giants Al Hilal and Al Merreikh will begin their own Champions League campaign in the first round after they were all handed a bye.

The first round first leg matches will be played between March 11-13 with the second legs fixed for the weekend of March 18-20.