Thabet was lucky not to concede a penalty

Beninoise referee Coffi Codja made several controversial decisions as favourites Esperance of Tunisia made a shaky start to the group phase of the Champions League on Sunday.

The clash of the 1994 champions and Canon Yaounde, winners in 1971, 1978 and 1980, was billed as a classic by the Tunisian media.

But the home side benefited from several generous refereeing decisions in taking all three points in their group B match against the Cameroon champions.

Group B results and fixtures

Skander Souayeh scored the winner from the penalty spot in the 50th minute, after Jean-Marc Benie went down under a challenge from Canon defender Georges Edoa, who did not look to have made any contact.

Canon had a penalty appeal of their own turned down in the first half when Jean Blaise Bouli was bundled off the ball by Esperance captain Tarek Thabet but their protests were waved away by Codja.

Esperance's 2-1 win puts them level at the top of the standings with Angolan club AS Aviacao, who beat USM Alger in Luanda on Saturday.

We did want we needed to do Bernardino Pedroto AS Aviacao coach

Aviacao marked their debut in the mini-league phase of the competition with a 1-0 win, which their Portuguese coach Bernardino Pedroto said came at the end of a tough and physical struggle.

"We did what we needed to do and that is to take the three points," he said.

In Group A, Nigerian champions Enyimba shot to the top of the standings after an impressive 3-0 win over Simba of Tanzania.

Bidding to become the first team from Nigeria to win Africa's premier club competition, Enyimba scored all three goals in a 10-minute first half blitz in the southern town of Aba.

On a pitch barely playable as torrential rain fell throughout, Ghanaian Joetex Frimpong scored his sixth Champions League goal to add to the strikes of Yusuf Mohammed and Muri Ogunbiyi.

The two clubs favoured to reach the semi-finals, ASEC of Ivory Coast and Ismailia of Egypt, drew 1-1 in an Abidjan clash that came alive after a dreary opening half.

Group A results and fixtures

Having soaked up considerable pressure, the Egyptians went ahead through Dramane Traore.