CS Sfaxien produced a strong comeback on Sunday, defeating Nigeria’s Shooting Stars 2-0 in the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup first preliminary round tie in Sfax.
The Tunisian side overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit to secure a 2-1 aggregate victory and book their place in the second preliminary round of the competition.
Shooting Stars had claimed a memorable 1-0 victory in the first leg at the Moshood Abiola Sports Complex in Abeokuta a week earlier. The result marked an impressive return to continental football for the Nigerian club after a 27-year absence.
However, CS Sfaxien quickly set about turning the tie around on home soil.
Iyed Belwafi opened the scoring four minutes before the half-hour mark, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead on the night and drawing the tie level on aggregate.
The striker struck again in the 67th minute to complete his brace and put CS Sfaxien 2-0 ahead, giving the Tunisian outfit a commanding advantage with just over 20 minutes remaining.
Shooting Stars pushed forward in search of a goal that would have brought them back into the contest, but they struggled to break through a determined CS Sfaxien defence.
Despite their efforts, the Nigerian side could not find the breakthrough they needed, as CS Sfaxien held on to complete the comeback and advance to the next round.
For Shooting Stars, the defeat brings an end to their long-awaited return to continental competition, while CS Sfaxien will now turn their attention to the second preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup.
