Shooting Stars marked their long-awaited return to continental competition by beating Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien 1-0 in the first leg of their CAF Confederation Cup first preliminary round tie.
Lucky Emmanuel scored the only goal of the match as the Ibadan club secured a narrow advantage at the Moshood Abiola Sports Complex in Abeokuta on Saturday.
The fixture was Shooting Stars’ first appearance in African competition since 1999, and they started with clear intent as they took control of the opening exchanges.
The hosts pushed CS Sfaxien back towards their own penalty area and maintained pressure as they looked to make their early dominance count.
That pressure produced the opening goal in the 26th minute. Emmanuel finished to put Shooting Stars ahead and give them a deserved lead before the interval.
CS Sfaxien responded positively after half-time, raising their attacking intensity in search of an equaliser. Their efforts placed the Shooting Stars defence under sustained pressure for long periods of the second half.
The Tunisian visitors were unable to find a way through, however, as the Shooting Stars goalkeeper made several important saves to protect the home side’s advantage.
Shooting Stars also had to withstand pressure during the closing stages, but they held on to claim a valuable first-leg win.
The result gives the Nigerian side a slender lead to defend when the teams meet again in Sfax next weekend. The winner on aggregate will progress to the second preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup.
For Shooting Stars, the victory provides an encouraging start to their return to continental football after an absence of more than two decades. Their first-leg success also leaves the tie finely balanced ahead of the return match in Tunisia.
The Ibadan club will know that their one-goal advantage gives them little margin for error, with CS Sfaxien needing to overturn the deficit on home soil to continue their challenge in the competition.