Hearts Thrashed In Angola

Hearts of Oak, who were Champions League winners in 2000, look set for another early-round exit -- their third in consecutive years since winning the title.

Angolan champions AS Aviacao inflicted a 3-0 defeat on Hearts in Luanda on Sunday with former Sporting Lisbon junior Rasca setting the rout in motion after just two minutes.

Jamba and substitute Kadima added two more to set up Aviacao for the last eight of Africa's top club competition in their first year of participation.

Reports say Hearts were poor defensively in the first half conceeding the first goal after just four minutes before Sammy Adjei wrong anticipation of a corner kick allowed the Angolans to scored a second.

The Phobians were also poor going forward and that was mirrored in the fact that coach Herbert Addo substituted his two best players who had failed to deliver on the day Bernard Don Bortey and Emmanuel Osei Kuffour.

But Hearts coach Herbert Addo refused to give up hope of qualification to the league stages saying just as Aviancao conceeded three goals, so can they score four themselves.

"Things happen in football and we are hoping that in the second leg we can put up a good display. We made mistakes and when we created we couldn't take them", he said on Adom FM.

Debutants Aviacao invested heavily to bolster their squad and staged the comeback of the first round, scoring two late goals in Uganda to pip Villa after a shock home loss.

Hearts launched their campaign shakily, winning only 1-0 at home to modest Douanes of Togo, but a 3-1 triumph in Lome.

Hearts must score four unanswered goals in Accra in two weeks time to make the champions league stage and stand any chance of competing for the one million dollar prize money at stake.

Hearts: Saamy Adjei, Dan Quaye, Phillip Kutsu, Dan Oppong, Emmanuel Osei, Joe Ansah, Adjah Tetteh, Charles Allotey/Edmund Copson, Bernard Don Bortey, Emmanuel Osei Kuffour/ Masawudu Mumuni, Wisdom Abbey

The eight second-round winners all qualify for the league phase of the competition, where some 3.2 million dollars in marketing and television revenues is split by the clubs.

Defending African champions Zamalek lose first-leg tie...

Defending champions Zamalek of Egypt lost 1-0 in the first leg of their second-round tie against Simba in Dar-es-Salaam on Sunday but the defeat is unlikely to scupper their chances in the African Champions League.
Emmanuel Gabriel's goal early in the second half gave Tanzania's Simba a slender lead to take to the return leg in two weeks' time in Cairo, where Zamalek have proved dominant in recent years and can expect to overcome the deficit.

...JoeTex Helps Enyimba

Jeanne d'Arc of Senegal, who reached the league phase last year, suffered a crushing 4-0 defeat at Enyimba of Nigeria in Aba on Sunday.

Enyimba's Ghanaian import Joetex Frimpong scored first to raise his tally in this year's Champions League to five.
Former winners Ismailia won 1-0 away in Mauritius against AS Port Louis 2000 in the only away win of the weekend while ASEC Abidjan and Canon Yaounde, who have also won the tournament in the past, had goalless draws away to set themselves up for victory in the return legs.
In a delayed first-round, second-leg tie played on the island of Reunion on Saturday, Highlanders of Zimbabwe drew 1-1 with hosts St Louisienne to complete a 4-2 aggregate victory.
Highlanders now host Esperance of Tunisia, former continental champions, in their second-round, first-leg encounter in Bulawayo next weekend.
African Cup Winners' Cup holders Wydad Casablanca kept on course for a defence of their title with a 2-2 away draw at Al Hilal of Libya in Benghazi on Saturday, twice coming from a goal down as Mohamed Raji scored.
Algerians JS Kabylie, who have won the last three Confederation of African Football (CAF) Cups, started their defence with a 1-1 draw in Senegal on Saturday against AS Sonacos.
Hamid Berguigua, one of the heroes of last year's winning team, scored early for JSK, who conceded an equaliser to their hosts 13 minutes from time.
JS Kabylie had a bye in the first round, as was the case with Al Ahli of Egypt, who won 2-1 away at Al Nasr in Libya on Friday.
In Lusaka on Saturday, Chris Katongo scored four goals to help Zambia's army club Green Buffaloes beat St Michel United of the Seychelles 5-0 in their CAF Cup match.
The return legs of all the second-round ties will be played between May 30 and June 1.