Libya’s Ittihad v Egypt’s Masry
The hosts applied early pressure, taking advantage of home support, while Masry relied on their solid defensive organization.
Hosts, Ittihad nearly opened the scoring after just seven minutes when Ikenna Clement’s effort went narrowly wide of the left post.
Masry continued to sit deep for much of the first half, showing little attacking threat as they looked to preserve the away draw.
In the second half, Masry’s Tunisian coach Nabil Kouki introduced Kingsley Eduwo, Mido Gaber and Bonheur Mugisha in an attempt to inject energy into the frontline, but neither side managed to break the deadlock.
Masry will host Ittihad in the return leg at Suez Stadium on Sunday, 26 October, to decide which team advances to the group stage.
The Green Eagles qualified for this season’s competition after finishing fourth in the Egyptian Premier League, marking their second consecutive and seventh overall appearance in the tournament.
They entered directly into the second preliminary round after receiving a bye based on their CAF club ranking.
Last season, Masry reached the quarterfinals before bowing out to Tanzania’s Simba SC in a penalty shootout.
Ittihad, meanwhile, are featuring in the tournament for a 12th time after eliminating Ethiopia’s Wolaita Dicha SC 3-1 on aggregate in the previous round.
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