Football: Benni's Champions League double hopes dashed

JOHANNESBURG: South African striker Benni McCarthy had his dreams of a Champions League double dashed at the weekend as Orlando Pirates were eliminated from the African title race.

Benni helped Porto win the 2004 UEFA Champions League and hoped he could collect another winners medal this year with Pirates in the CAF Champions League, only for the Soweto giants to be dumped after the first round.

Pirates forced a creditable 1-1 draw at Recreativo do Libolo of Angola, but the damage was done in the first leg two weeks ago as the Buccaneers slumped to a shock 3-1 home defeat.

Rasca gave Recreativo the lead at the 5,000-capacity Estadio Patrice Lumumba in the town of Calulo south of Luanda and Andile Jali equalised just before half-time.

McCarthy was introduced on the hour mark as Pirates sought the two goals that would have taken the tie to a penalty shootout, but could not unlock a massed Angolan defence.

Benni sprang to prominence by finishing joint leading scorer with seven goals at the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations and played for clubs in the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and England before returning home last year.

Pirates were one of two former CAF champions in action at the weekend and five-time winners Zamalek of Egypt scraped into the last 32 with a 1-0 win against Tanzanian visitors Young Africans at an empty Cairo stadium.

Zamalek advanced 2-1 on aggregate and their second round opponents this month will be Africa Sports of Ivory Coast, who they pipped on penalties in the 1986 final.

The Abidjan Eagles triumphed 2-0 at home to Missile FC of Gabon 2-0 with Serge Kouakou scoring midway through the opening half and Tiemoko Konate notching a late second goal for a 4-3 aggregate win.

Nigerian champions Dolphins hardly broke sweat as they cruised to a 3-0 win over Sony Ela Nguema from Equatorial Guinea in Port Harcourt -- the same scoreline by which they won the first leg.

Berekum Chelsea of Ghana also won 3-0 at home with Jordan Opoku putting them ahead just before half-time against Liberian outfit LISCR and Emmanuel Clottey adding a second-half brace to seal a five-goal overall success.

Debutants Brikama United of Gambia upset US Ouakam in Senegal, winning the match 1-0 and the penalty shootout 3-1 to secure a second round date with defending champions Esperance of Tunisia. (AFP)