African champions Hearts look to progress in Congo

Champions Hearts of Oak seek belated progress through to the second round of this year's African Champions League when they travel to Congo for a delayed first round, second leg fixture on Sunday.

The Ghanaian club will take a 3-1 lead from the first leg last weekend to Brazzaville for their meeting with Etoile du Congo, looking to fill the last berth in second round line-up. The tie was put back two weeks because Hearts had several of their players in Ghana's under-20 side, wich finished runners-up in the African youth championships in Ethiopia earlier this month.

Hearts, who won the Champions League last December and will represent the continent in the World Club Championship in Spain later this year, spluttered through Sunday's first leg in Kumasi.

They conceded an own goal after just 14 minutes and were held to a 1-1 stalemate until captain Emmanuel Osei Kuffour completed his hat-trick in the last five minutes. Kuffour was the leading goalscorer in the Champions League last year.

Hearts are being forced to play all their home games in the Champions League this year in Kumasi -- some 200km from their base in the capital Accra -- because of the rioting that caused a lengthy stoppage to last yeaqr's final against Esperance of Tunisia.

Etoile du Congo were quarter-finalists in last year's African Cup Winners' Cup.