Johannesburg: Egypt's Al Ahly began their CAF Confederation Cup campaign with a come from behind victory against Ugandan side Kitara, claiming a 2-1 win on on Saturday.
The hosts shocked the Cairo outfit when Gadafi Wahab scored after 30 minutes to take a lead they retained until midway through the second half.
Ahly levelled through Omar El Saaiy on 67 minutes and Ahmed 'Zizo' Sayed scored the winning goal after 82 minutes by converting a penalty.
The result in east Africa confirms Ahly as favourites to win the final round qualifier as they will enjoy home advantage in the second leg on October 25.
Ahly are competing in the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League after 23 consecutive appearances in the CAF Champions League, the premier African club competition.
Only the top two finishers in the Egyptian Premier League qualify for the Champions League. Ahly finished third last season and had to settle for a place in the second-tier Confederation Cup.
Ahly are the most successful club in African competitions, winning 25 titles, including the Champions League 12 times.
After failing to reach the group stage of the 2014 Champions League, they were relegated to the Confederation Cup and went on to beat Sewe Sport of the Ivory Coast on away goals in the final.
Red Arrows of Zambia edged Kaizer Chiefs of South Africa 1-0 in a regional derby in Ndola. Malian Alassane Diarra headed the lone goal off a corner after 77 minutes.
