Ngongang scores four for New Star in CAF Cup

Debutants Kariobangi Sharks blank Arta Solar 3-0

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 6, (AFP): Junior Ngongang, who grew up adoring former Portuguese star Luis Figo, scored four goals this week to give New Star of Cameroon a shock CAF Confederation Cup triumph.

His solo show earned the club from Atlantic port city Douala a 4-1 away victory over Vital’O of Burundi after the first leg of the 2018/2019 preliminary round tie had ended goalless.

The reward for New Star is a round-of-32 showdown with Al Ahly Tripoli of Libya, one of nine clubs who byes.

Ngongang is the second striker after Mohamed Zubya from the other Libyan contenders, Al Ittihad, to score four times this season in a match in the second-tier African competition.

Zubya needed just 33 minutes to wreak havoc whereas Ngongang netted as early as the fourth minute and as late as the 88th minute in Burundi capital Bujumbura.

He claimed a hat trick before Olivier Dusabe pulled one back for rattled

received

preliminary-round Vital’O on the stroke of half-time at the Prince Louis Rwagasore Stadium.

Ngongang completed the rout two minutes from time, giving New Star a winning margin they could hardly have imagined was possible after being contained by Vital’O in Cameroon.

Generation Foot of Senegal and San Pedro of the Ivory Coast emulated New Star by winning away after being held at home, but their successes were much less spectacular.

Papa N’Diaye converted a firstminute penalty that proved decisive as Generation, an academy club, pipped 2012 Confederation Cup runners-up Djoliba of Mali 1-0 in Bamako.

Generation, making a fourth consecutive appearance in the African equivalent of the Europa League, advanced 1-0 on aggregate to face Hassania Agadir of Morocco in a round-of-32 tie. San Pedro, beaten by Al Ahly in the 2014 final, netted in the final minute of the opening half through Nana Manu to defeat the Armed Forces of Gambia 1-0 in Bakau.

Like Generation Foot and New Star, the Ivorians travelled with some trepidation after snatching a late 1-1 first-leg draw in Abidjan last week.

There was a surprise in Rwanda with local club Mukura Victory edging South African visitors Free State Stars 1-0 for an overall success by the same scoreline.

Burundian David Nshimirimana nodded the decisive goal 10 minutes into the second half in southern city Butare.

Free State, a club more used to domestic relegation battles, were competing in Africa for the first time and not expected to go far in the competition. Debutants Kariobangi Sharks of Kenya emerged as the most clearcut preliminary-round winners, defeating Arta Solar 3-0 in Djibouti City for a 9-1 aggregate triumph.

George Abege scored in both legs for the Nairobi outfit, who face 2-time former African champions Asante Kotoko of Ghana later this month.