ASKO were held to a goalless draw by AS Zam at half-time in the first leg of the first preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup, despite controlling much of the opening period and creating the clearest chances.
The Kondonas established the stronger foothold in the match and repeatedly threatened the AS Zam defence. However, their dominance was not reflected on the scoreboard, with ASKO unable to turn their promising openings into a goal.
Tchakei Moucheiri came closest to breaking the deadlock early on when he found himself through on goal. The ASKO player had the chance to finish the move in a one-on-one situation with the opposing goalkeeper, but could not beat him.
That opportunity underlined the difference between the two sides during the first half. ASKO were able to create danger and put AS Zam under pressure, yet the final action repeatedly let them down.
Klidje Claude also had an opportunity to put ASKO ahead before the interval. His effort, however, went wide of the target as AS Zam continued to withstand the pressure.
The forward was involved in an even more significant chance a few minutes later. With the ball delivered into the penalty area and the AS Zam defence appearing vulnerable, Klidje Claude was presented with a clear opening.
But his first-time attempt went badly wrong. He failed to make proper contact with the ball, despite being in a position where a goal appeared likely, allowing AS Zam to escape another difficult moment.
The missed chances left ASKO level at 0-0 at the break, even though the Togolese side had enjoyed the greater control and produced the more threatening attacking situations.
AS Zam, by contrast, remained in the contest without conceding during a first half in which they were often forced to deal with ASKO’s pressure. Their resistance ensured that the hosts’ superiority did not produce a lead.
For ASKO, the interval brought frustration rather than reward. Moucheiri’s one-on-one opportunity and Claude’s two openings had given them several routes to the opening goal, but none was taken.
The scoreline therefore remained goalless at half-time in this opening-leg meeting, with ASKO’s lack of precision in front of goal the main feature of the match so far.