The TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2026/27 opened with a gripping first preliminary round, featuring convincing away wins for Pyramids FC, TP Mazembe, Simba SC, and Al Hilal alongside dominant home performances from Wiliete SC and Maghreb Fès.

Among the weekend's most striking results, Mauritian debutants La Cure Waves held South African champions Orlando Pirates to a 0-0 draw — a statement result for a side making their continental debut.

With the return legs set for 11–13 September, here are five players who left their mark on the opening round.

Mabululu (Wiliete SC)

Angola international Mabululu delivered a commanding performance as Wiliete SC dismantled Seychelles champions Foresters FC 4-0 in Benguela. He doubled the hosts' lead in the 34th minute and added a second shortly after half-time, finishing with two goals in a display that showcased his movement and clinical finishing.

His contribution was central to what was one of the most emphatic home victories of the round.

Walid El Karti (Pyramids FC)

Experience proved decisive in Nairobi as Moroccan midfielder Walid El Karti gave Pyramids FC an early foothold against Gor Mahia. El Karti opened the scoring within minutes of kick-off, and Mahmoud Saber added a second before the break to seal a 2-0 victory.

Pyramids had to weather a lively opening from the Kenyan champions, but El Karti's composure steadied the visitors and set the tone for one of the weekend's strongest team performances — further enhancing his growing continental reputation.

Jean Ramdiane (La Cure Waves)

La Cure Waves goalkeeper Jean Ramdiane was the architect of the round's biggest surprise, frustrating Orlando Pirates across 90 minutes to earn a 0-0 draw on the Mauritian side's CAF Champions League debut. Pirates arrived as firm favourites, yet Ramdiane repelled them at every turn — producing a critical first-half save from Boitumelo Radiopane and twice denying Deon Hotto from set-pieces after the interval.

Anicet Oura (Simba SC)

Simba SC's assignment in Lilongwe against Mighty Wanderers demanded patience and defensive discipline, and it was Anicet Oura who delivered the decisive moment. The Ivorian attacker struck after half-time to secure a 1-0 away win — exactly the kind of result that sets a team up for a comfortable return leg.

Simba now take a precious lead back to Dar es Salaam, where they will look to complete the job in front of their own supporters.

Lise Nyembo Ntumba (TP Mazembe)

Five-time African champions TP Mazembe were heading for a stalemate in Tarkwa when substitute Lise Nyembo Ntumba intervened to change everything. Entering late in the contest, Ntumba found the net to hand Mazembe a 1-0 win against Medeama — one of the most valuable away results of the opening round.

Medeama had pushed the Congolese giants hard and created genuine chances of their own, but Ntumba's clinical finish at the crucial moment demonstrated the fine margins that so often define preliminary-round football.