ES Zarzis made a statement on their return to continental football after a 20-year absence, coming from behind to defeat Senegal's Diambars 3-1 in the first leg of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round on Friday.

The Tunisian club had not featured in the competition since 2006, and their comeback began on the back foot when Diambars took the lead inside the 13th minute. Zarzis, however, refused to buckle.

Al-Qassab leads the turnaround

Khalil Al-Qassab dragged Zarzis level in the 35th minute, restoring parity before the break. The same player then put the hosts ahead with a second goal 11 minutes after the restart, turning the tie on its head.

Samba sealed the win in the 70th minute, completing a commanding comeback and handing Zarzis a two-goal cushion ahead of next week's return leg in Senegal.

The result gives the Tunisian side a strong platform as they look to cement their place in African club football and make the most of a long-awaited continental comeback.

Friday's other results

Elsewhere, Chad's AS PSI and Côte d'Ivoire's CO Korhogo played out a 2-2 draw, leaving their preliminary-round tie delicately poised. Cameroon's Panthère were held to a 1-1 stalemate by Rwanda's Rayon Sport, while Port Louis of Mauritius drew 1-1 with Botswana's Jwaneng Galaxy.

Sudan's Hilal Alsahil claimed one of the day's more decisive results, beating Ethiopian debutants Welwalo Adigrat 2-1 to gain the advantage heading into the second leg.

The preliminary round runs from 4 to 6 September, with return fixtures scheduled for the following week. The 2026/27 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup features 17 debutants, and the opening round has already delivered a series of tightly contested encounters.

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)