Tunisia’s Etoile Sahel took advantage of nine-man Royal Armed Forces of Morocco (FAR Rabat)to come away with a 1-0 away win in their opening MTN CAF Champions League Group A match in Rabat on Saturday.

Follow up:

A penalty midway through the second half by Sabeur Ben Frej ensured all three away points for the Tunisian champions, who were handed a winning start to the group phase by some bizarre antics on the part of their hosts.


First Nouredine Kacemi, a former Morocco international, was sent off on the stroke off half-time for a flying two-footed tackle in the midfield.


It left FAR Rabat new coach Mustapha Madih having to shuffle his side around for the second half, including making two changes straight after the break.

But in the 66th minute defender Khalidi Maroufi stopped the ball with his hand in his own penalty area under no pressure from Etoile Sahel, allowing Ben Frej to convert the resultant kick.


The soldiers lost a second player to a red card in the 79th minute when substitute Idrissi Youssef Kaddioui was sent off for elbowing an opponent from behind.


Tempers flared regularly throughout a tempestuous game in which a further five yellow cards were brandished by referee Komlan Coulibaly of Mali.


Etoile Sahel join Al Ittihad at the head of the standings after the Libyan club beat JS Kabylie 1-0 in Tripoli on Friday.





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