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Soccer News of Saturday, 31 May 2003

Source: Reuters

Hearts faces another early Champions League exit

Former titleholder Hearts of Oak face its third early exit from the African Champions League in as many years unless it can turn around a 3-0 deficit against newcomer AS Aviacao.

Ghana's Hearts of Oak have not made an impact on the continental club competition since winning it in 2000. It hosts the Angolan champion in their second round second leg tie Sunday.

Defending African champion Zamalek must also come from behind if it is to reach the league phase of the competition after losing 1-0 to Tanzanian side Simba in Dar-es-Salaam a fortnight ago.

Turning the result around will be the last task of an arduous season for Zamalek's players, who won the league title last Wednesday but were then bundled out of the Egyptian Cup on Monday.

Best placed for a spot in the last eight, which carries more than US$3.5-million in marketing and television revenue, are Nigeria's Enyimba and Ismailia of Egypt.

Enyimba has a 4-0 lead going into the second leg at Jeanne d'Arc of Senegal in Dakar on Saturday while Ismailia leads 1-0 against AS Port Louis 2000 after winning in Mauritius.

Wydad Casablanca is set to continue its run into the quarterfinals of the African Cup Winners' Cup, despite having fired Serbian coach Zarko Olaveric after just three games.

The holder hosts Al Hilal of Libya after a 2-2 draw in the first leg.

But former winner Africa Sports faces early elimination after a surprise 2-1 loss at home to Hafia of Guinea earlier this month.

Former African Footballer of the Year Mahmoud Al Khattib takes charge of Al Ahli in their Confederation of African Football (CAF) Cup second round tie against Libya's Al Nasr in Cairo on Saturday.

Dutch coach Jo Bonfrere departed after Al Ahli's failure to win the Egyptian league last week and Al Khattib is temporarily in charge of what should be a routine assignment with the Cairo club already 2-1 up from the first leg.

The winners of the eight ties in the three continental competitions go through to the draw in Cairo on July 10.