Al Ahly overturned a first-half deficit to claim a 2-1 victory over Uganda's Kitara FC at Hoima Stadium on Saturday, while Zambia's Red Arrows edged Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 in two first-leg encounters from the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup 2026/27 Second Preliminary Round.
Al Ahly's comeback wins in Uganda
Kitara struck first against the run of play in the 30th minute, when Gaddafi Wahab converted a cross to beat goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy and silence the travelling Egyptian support. Al Ahly had threatened early through a Mounsef Bakar header that struck the post, with Yassin Marei and Hussein El Shahat also squandering chances before the interval.
Coach Hussein Ammouta acted decisively at half-time, sending on Ahmed Sayed Zizo, Soufiane Benjedida, and Tawfik Mohamed to reshape the contest. The triple substitution paid immediate dividends — Omar Al-Saai levelled matters in the 67th minute, collecting Marwan Attia's cross, beating his marker, and drilling a finish past the Kitara goalkeeper.
Al Ahly then completed the turnaround 12 minutes later. Akram Tawfik was brought down inside the penalty area, and Zizo converted the resulting spot-kick in the 79th minute to put the Cairo giants ahead for the first time. Kitara could not find a way back in the closing stages, leaving Al Ahly with a narrow but significant advantage ahead of the return leg at Cairo Stadium on 25 October.
A place in the 16-team group stage awaits the winner of that second fixture, with Kitara requiring a positive result away from home to keep their continental ambitions alive.
Red Arrows hold off Kaizer Chiefs in Lusaka
In the other first-leg tie, Zambia's Red Arrows secured a 1-0 home win over South Africa's Kaizer Chiefs, with Alassane Diarra heading home a corner delivered by Ackim Mumba in the 76th minute to settle the contest.
The solitary goal puts the Airmen in a favourable position, though Kaizer Chiefs remain very much in the tie and will seek to overturn the deficit when the two sides meet again in Johannesburg in the return leg.
