Winning start for former Ghana coach Appiah

Ghanaian Kwesi Appiah made a successful switch from national team to club coach this weekend as Sudanese Al-Khartoum defeated Zambians Power Dynamos 1-0 in the CAF Confederation Cup.

Widely-travelled Niger striker Kamilou Daouda scored the winner for Khartoum midway through the first half after springing an offside trap in a lively preliminary round, first leg clash.

Appiah was dumped as Ghana coach last September after a two-year spell that produced mixed results and numerous problems off the field.

Under the 54-year-old, the Black Stars finished fourth at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and were eliminated after the first round of the World Cup a year later.

He struggled to control some senior stars, whose threat of a World Cup boycott led to millions of dollars in bonuses being flown from Ghana to Brazil.

Daouda, who has played in Niger, Cameroon, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria, was a constant threat and had the ball in the net a second time only to be ruled offside.

Khartoum, hoping to become the second Sudanese side after 1989 African Cup Winners' Cup champions El-Merrikh to lift a CAF trophy, would have won more convincingly but for Power goalkeeper Joel Kanyeba.

Preferred to Zambia 2015 Cup of Nations reserve Joshua Titima, Kanyeba produced a string of superb first-half saves to prevent the hosts increasing their advantage.

Nigerian Samuel Sanumi was the unlikely matchwinner as Ethiopians Dedebit came from behind to pip Cote d'Or 3-2 in the Seychelles.

Barred from entering the Indian Ocean island state because of a visa problem, Sanumi returned to Addis Ababa, resolved the issue and rejoined his team-mates.

With the game heading for a draw, Sanumi struck six minutes from time to leave Dedebit well placed to reach the last-32 stage.

Nigerian clubs had mixed results with a late Abu Azeez goal earning Warri Wolves a 1-0 win over RC Bobo in Burkina Faso while Dolphins were beaten 1-0 by Leones Vegetarianos in Equatorial Guinea.