Football: Caf Champions League – preliminary round |16 February 2016

St Michel lose 0-3 away to St Georges

St Michel will have to overturn a huge deficit in the home leg of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) Champions League if they are to progress to the first round after losing the away fixture 0-3 against St Georges (aka Kidus Giorgis) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

On Sunday at the Addis Ababa National Stadium it was a Valentine’s Day to forget for the Barclays league division one champions who fell behind against Ethiopian league giants St Georges in the 16th minute on a veteran player Adane Girma goal.

According to the Ethiopian media, Girma had a hand in all the goals as he assisted Behailu Girma in the second goal in the 43rd minute and it was his shot that allowed new Nigerian signing Godwin Chika to score the team’s third goal in the 80th minute after Saint Michel’s goalkeeper Gino Melanie couldn’t secure the ball.

The return leg will be played after two weeks at Stad Linite in Victoria.

The 12-time Ethiopian champions, who were without the service of Ugandan import Brian Umony who has a fractured thigh bone, and centre-back Salahdin Bargicho who is also nursing an injury following treatment in Germany, will travel to Seychelles for the return leg match in two weeks’ time.

The only club of the Indian Ocean region to collect victory in the first round of matches are CNaPS of Madagascar who earned a 2-1 away victory at the Nyayo National Stadium against Gor Mahia of Kenya. Cercle de Joachim of Mauritius lost at home on a 0-1 score to Young Africans of Tanzania and Volcan Club of the Comoros were defeated 4-0 by Kaizer Chiefs of South Africa.

G. G.