Football
Daniel Ekonde, Special to ESPN 5y

Lobi Stars begin continental campaign with UMS de Loum loss

Cameroonian side UMS de Loum defeated Nigeria's Lobi Stars 1-0 in the first leg of their CAF Champions League preliminary round clash on Wednesday.

UMS de Loum's sustained pressure paid off in the 66th minute through a Jean Nicolas Abanda effort at the Military Stadium in Yaoundé

Lobi Stars' Alex Aghahowa came close to an equalizer late into the second half, but his weak shot was saved by Joel Tieche.

The Cameroonians can advance for the first time in their history if they avoid defeat in Nigeria next week.

They'll be keen to avoid a repeat of the 2-2 away-goal defeat they suffered against Congo-Brazzaville's AC Leopards in 2017.

Lobi Stars qualified for the Champions League due to the fact that they were atop the Nigerian standings when the league was prematurely concluded in late August.

The division was wrapped up after 24 games, with the Nigerian Federation concerned that the competition could not be terminated in time for CAF's October 15 deadline following the suspension of domestic football amidst NFF turmoil.

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