Uganda Premier League side Vipers SC under new coach Alex Isabirye picked up their second point in the group of the CAF Champions League Group C and scored their first goal in a 1-1 draw with Raja Casablanca on Saturday at St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende.
Nigerian Abubakar Lawal scored the leveller at the stroke of halftime, finishing off at the backpost off a cross from Issa Mubiru.
Raja who are unbeaten in the group had opened the scoring after 18 minutes through Soufiane Benjdida who connected easily from three yards out off a Zakaria Labib cross.
This was the first time in the group phase that Raja were dropping points having been on a run of four successive victories.
With the top two already decided, the last round of matches will merely count for statistic with Guinea’s Horoya hosting Vipers in Conakry while Tanzanian giants Simba SC will be away to Raja.
Else where in Group C, Simba SC thrashed Horoya 7-0 at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam to thunder into the quarter-finals.
Clatous Chama scored a hattrick for Wekundu wa Msimbazi with Jean Beleke and Sadio Kanoute scoring two each as Simba made it into the last eight for the third time in five years.
They cemented their hold on second spot as they moved to nine points, five ahead of third placed Horoya and four behind group winners raja Club Athletic who picked a point in their 1-1 away draw against Uganda’s Vipers in Kampala.
The hosts were in a must win situation heading into the tie and they were off to a fast start. Just 10 minutes in, they broke the deadlock when Chama whipped in a brilliant freekick from the edge of the box.
Horoya almost drew level minutes later, but Pape Ndiaye’s two shots went narrowly wide. In between Simba had a brilliant chance to make it 2-0 when Chama broke off on the counter, but his pass back to the area was a yard behind Saido Ntibanzokiza who was racing towards goal.
They however made it 2-0 after 32 minutes when Beleke reacted quickest after the keeper spilled a Dennis Kibu shot. They made it 3-0 after 34 minutes from the penalty spot, Chama putting the spotkick away after a handball inside the box.
Simba went into the break with a three-goal cushion and one foot into the last eight.
They kept the tempo in the second half and they made it 4-0 nine minutes after the restart when Kanoute placed a brilliant shot into the top right corner after being set up by Chama off a brilliant cutback from Ntibanzokiza.
Beleke completed his brace in the 65th minute when he beat the keeper one on one after pinching the ball off a defender at the edge of the box. Chama then added his third and Simba’s sixth with a sublime finish inside the box from a Sakho cutback.
Kanoute then put the icing on the cake with the seventh four minutes to time with another brilliant shot from outside the area after being teed up by Shomari Kapombe.
