TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo crushed Tunisia’s Club Africain 8-0 on Saturday to achieve a record winning margin for an African Champions League group match.
The five-time African champions overtook the mark set 18 years ago by Ivory Coast’s ASEC Mimosas when they beat CR Belouizdad of Algeria 7-0.
Moroccan club Difaa el Jadida hold the record for a single-match winning margin at any stage of the Champions League after a 10-0 win over Benfica of Guinea-Bissau last season.
Mazembe ran riot in Lubumbashi just 14 days after suffering a three-goal defeat away to surprise Group C pacesetters CS Constantine of Algeria.
Constantine top the table with six points, Mazembe have three and Club Africain none in a group reduced to three clubs after Ismaily of Egypt were disqualified for crowd violence.
If Mazembe avoid defeat away to former champions Club Africain in Tunis on 12 February, they and Constantine will secure quarter-finals places in the elite African club competition.
The home side netted four times in each half with Kevin Mondeka, Jackson Muleka and veteran Tresor Mputu scoring two each and Mika Miche and Elia Meschak one apiece.
A few hours after Mazembe completed their destruction of Club Africain, the record was poised to be broken again as Al Ahly of Egypt charged to a 5-0 half-time lead over Simba SC of Tanzania.
But the eight-time African champions failed to score during a goalless second half in Alexandria.
Amr Elsolia, Tunisian Ali Maaloul and Nigerian Junior Ajayi scored as Ahly swept into a three-goal lead and a Karim Walid brace stretched the advantage to five goals by the break.
It was the second successive match in which Simba conceded five goals, raising doubts about their ability to go any further in the competition.
Ahly, runners-up in the last two editions, top Group D with seven points, AS Vita Club of DR Congo have four, Simba three and JS Saoura of Algeria two.
Saoura came from two goals behind to draw 2-2 with Vita Club in Kinshasa where Sid Ali Yahia-Cherif equalised one minute from time.
Wydad became the first team to win away in Group A with a first-half penalty converted by Mohamed Nahiri earning a 1-0 victory over lacklustre Lobi Stars of Nigeria in Enugu.
The Moroccans had a genuine penalty appeal rejected by the DR Congo referee before Mohamed Ounajem was fouled and Nahiri sent Olufemi Kayode the wrong way on 19 minutes.
Ahmed Tagnaouti of Wydad was the busier goalkeeper and did well to get down and push away a Yaya Kone header before half-time on a scorching afternoon in Nigeria.
Wydad squandered a chance to increase their lead midway through the second half when Kayode saved another penalty, this time taken by Ounajem.
Lobi offered little going forward and when they occasionally threatened, Tagnaouti was there to thwart them and ensure the Moroccans retained their advantage.
Mamelodi Sundowns and Wydad have six points with the South Africans occupying first place in Group A on head-to-head records having won 2-1 when the clubs met in Pretoria last month.
ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast and Lobi have three points each and need wins on 12 February against the teams they were beaten by this weekend to get back in contention.
Guinean outfit Horoya AC were rewarded for spending a week in Zimbabwe preparing to play FC Platinum when they won 1-0 in Group B thanks to a 51st-minute penalty from Marius Assoko in Bulawayo.
Orlando Pirates of South Africa and holders Esperance of Tunisia, who played a drab 0-0 draw in Soweto, have five points each in Group B, Horoya four and Platinum one. BBC
