Medeama SC suffered a narrow defeat to TP Mazembe in the first leg of the CAF Champions League First Preliminary Round at the TnA Stadium in Tarkwa on Sunday afternoon.
The Ghanaian side produced a competitive display against the Congolese giants but were punished late in the game after substitute Lise Ntumba Nyembo struck in the 87th minute to hand TP Mazembe a crucial 1-0 victory.
TP Mazembe created the first notable opening in the 33rd minute when Chadrack Bingi-Belo found space inside the Medeama penalty area. However, his free-kick header lacked direction and went straight into the hands of goalkeeper Felix Kyei.
Medeama responded with a good opportunity of their own, but TP Mazembe goalkeeper Marc Diouf produced a brilliant save to deny Dominic Amponsah from close range and keep the visitors level. Kyei was then called into action again in the 43rd minute, making a spectacular stop to prevent TP Mazembe attacker Josue Kazema from breaking the deadlock.
Medeama continued to search for an opening after the restart and came close in the 64th minute when winger Emmanuel Annor unleashed a strike from inside the box, but his effort was kept out by Diouf. With the match seemingly heading towards a goalless draw, TP Mazembe produced the decisive moment three minutes from normal time.
A swift counter-attack caught Medeama off guard, allowing substitute Lise Ntumba Nyembo to find the back of the net and give the visitors the lead. Medeama were unable to find an equaliser before the final whistle, leaving them trailing 1-0 heading into the second leg.
The decisive return fixture will be played in Lubumbashi in a week’s time, with Medeama needing to overturn the deficit away from home to progress to the next stage of the CAF Champions League.
