2006 African Champions League

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JS Kabylie go down at home to Tunisia's CS Sfaxien

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JS Kabylie go down at home to Tunisia's CS Sfaxien

Too bad...Sfax ba3da??!!!!! ..

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JS Kabylie set for return clash with CS Sfaxien in Tunisia

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SFAX, Tunisia, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Tunisian provincial club CS Sfaxien moved to within one point of an African Champions League semi-final place as they beat Algeria's JS Kabylie 2-0 in their Group A match on Saturday.

The win kept CS Sfaxien top of their group standings, two points ahead of defending champions Al Ahli, who won earlier on Saturday 4-0 at home to Asante Kotoko of Ghana.

CS Sfaxien, who had won 1-0 in Algeria fortnight ago, picked up where they left off, opening their account after eight minutes through Abdelkrim Nafti.
Nafti outsprinted the defence to latch onto a long ball out of defence and while his first effort on goal was blocked, he snatched up the rebound, dragged it from right to left and curled a superb shot into the top corner.
Sfaxien's new Ghanaian signing Joetex Frimpong, who was the top goal scorer in the Champions League last year, added a second nine minutes from halftime, his first goal for his new club coming with an easy close-in header from Nafti's cross.

The result all but ends the interest of the Algerians, whose French coach Jean-Yves Chay did not make the trip and is expected to be fired by the club in the next days.

JS Kabylie have only three points from their first four matches in the group.

CS Sfaxien 2 JS Kabylie 0

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ALGIERS, Aug 30 (Reuters) - African Champions League campaigners JS Kabylie of Algeria have fired French coach Jean-Yves Chay in the wake of three successive defeats in the competition, the club announced on Wednesday.

The 58-year-old Chay departs despite winning the championship with JSK in May after losses in recent weeks to Al Ahli of Egypt and twice at the hands of CS Sfaxien in Group A of the eight-team league phase of Africa's top club competition.

JSK said they were negotiating with two coaches and were hoping to appoint Chay's replacement in time for their next Champions League match at Asante Kotoko of Ghana on Sept. 9.

Algeria's JS Kabylie sack French coach Chay after losses

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Asante Kotoko 2 JS Kabylie 1

Nana Arhin Duah scored twice as Ghana's Asante Kotoko beat JS Kabylie 2-1 on Saturday to keep alive their hopes of a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Kotoko came back after conceding a third-minute goal to Hamza Yacef, only the second scored by the Algerians in the group phase of the competition.

Defeat for Kabylie ended their hopes of progress to the final four, although they did have several good opportunities to come away with a rare away win from the group A match.

Yacef's slight touch to a cross from Nassim Hamlaoui looped over the Kotoko goalkeeper Eric Nii Bah, who had misjudged his timing off the goal line, as the small home crowd were silenced early on.

Arhin Duah served notice of his potential with a volley in front of goal which JS Kabylie's Algeria international goalkeeper Lounes Gaouaoui brilliantly turned around for a corner in the 35th minute.

But four minutes later, an expertly-taken free kick from Arhin Duah, delivered from just outside JSK's penalty area, curled into the top corner giving Gaouaoui no chance.

Kotoko's captain Edmund Owusu-Ansah went wide with a good chance just after the break and a minute later Cheikh Oumar Dabo's diving header almost restored JSK's lead.

Yacef then ballooned a shot over the top after Dabo had drawn the Kotoko keeper off his line and played the ball back into the path of his team mate.

Arhin Duah made sure of the three points as he swivelled and punished a defensive error from close in after the Algerian visitors had failed to clear a cross from substitute Aziz Ansah.

Kotoko play their final match away at CS Sfaxien of Tunisia next Sunday.

JS Kabylie host holders Al Ahli of Egypt in their last Group A game, also next Sunday.

Kotoko defeat Kabylie

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African champions Ahli lost top spot in the Champions League Group A after a 2-2 draw against JS Kabylie of Algeria on Sunday.

The result, combined with Sfaxien's 2-1 win over Asante Kotoko, put Ahli in second spot in their Group A on 11 points, one point behind the Tunisian champions.

Ahli, who secured their place in the semi-finals last week, will now face Group B winners ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast while Sfaxien will face runners-up Orlando Pirates of South Africa.

Ahli dominated the first-half and looked set for a comfortable win over their Algerian hosts when they took the lead after 14 minutes.

Flavio Amado controlled an inch-perfect through pass from Mohamed Shawki before squaring to the on rushing Mohamed Abou-Treika who slotted home into the empty net.

A rejuvenated Algerian side took the field after the break, threatening Essam Al-Hadari on two occasions, but the Egypt goalkeeper made some crucial saves to keep Ahli's lead intact.

However, Al-Hadari's luck ran out when he failed to deny Omar Dabo's penalty-kick in the 63rd minute after Moroccan referee awarded a controversial penalty to Yacef Hamza.

Hamza seemed to have been brought down in the area by Shadi Mohamed, but television replays showed the player fell untouched.

Dabo stunned the Egyptian champions with Kabylie's second when he rose unchallenged to a corner-kick and headed home past the helpless Hadari in the 81st minute.

Ahli went all out in search of an equalizer which was achieved deep in stoppage time when Abou-Treika scored from the spot, even though Flavio's initial effort found the net.

Nevertheless, Ahli's efforts were in vain as Sfaxien managed to grab a late win against their Ghanaian opponents.

JS Kabylie 2 Al Ahli 2