Ivory Coast

Defending champions Asec are struggling

Defending champions Asec Mimosas lost 1-0 to Stade Abidjan on Sunday. The match was their first defeat in the final six-team league phase to decide the championship.

A 74th minute strike by Raphael Yabre gave Stade the win, which puts them in third position, while Asec slip to fifth.

Africa Sports National occupy top spot with eight points from four games. They are closely followed by Stella, who trail with a point.

Togo

A match between Gomido Kpalime and Abou Osse d'Anie was postponed after Gomido were unable to raise a team.

Nine Gomido players were injured in a road accident on 24 August, with four said to be in a critical condition. The accident occurred during the team's return from a league tie in Lome.

Dynamites Togolais are on top of the table after a 2-0 win over Sara Sport, while second-placed Agaza Lome beat Togo Telecom 1-0. Telecom were the leaders when the league began last weekend.

Ghana

Asante Kotoko maintain their slender lead after Sunday's highly-charged draw with arch-rivals Hearts of Oak in Accra.

Kotoko came from behind to draw level in the second-half, after the Hearts goalkeeper Eben Dida lost the ball in a challenge. Yusif Chisbah pounced on the rebound and made no mistake.

Hearts players protested to the referee about the goal, as Dida was injured during the earlier challenge but the equaliser was allowed to stand.

Hearts now trail Kotoko by a point, after 18 games.

Eight points separate second-placed Hearts from Berekum Arsenals, who lost 3-0 to Liberty Professionals. William Tiero opened Liberty's account with the league's fastest penalty.

Algeria

USM Algiers beat CAB 3-2

Former Algeria captain Moussa Saib scored after half an hour to help JS Kabilye to a 2-0 win over NA Hussein Dey. The win puts JSK at the top of the table, with seven points from three games.

Widad Tlemcen are level on points with JSK but remain in second place as a result of their inferior goal difference. They defeated second from bottom team USM Annaba 1-0.

Entente Setif recovered from the expulsion of striker Isaad Bourahli in the 34th minute to beat Mouloudia Algiers 3-0, while defending champions USM Algiers overcame their African Champions League loss to Esperance and snatched a 3-2 victory over CA Bordj Bou Arreridj.

Salim Aribi's winner in the 65th minute gave third-placed USM their second win. The champions have a game in hand against Mouloudia Oran.

Meanwhile, Mouloudia denied US Chaouia all three points in the last two minutes of their tie, as they came from behind to draw 2-2.

But the the shock of the weekend was RC Kouba's 1-0 triumph at USM Blida, with the visitors finishing the game with 10 men.

Tunisia

With five goals in three games Cape Verdian forward Jerry Adriano is the top scorer in the championship.

Esperance have made a strong start

He scored the opening goal for leaders US Monastir as they beat Olympic Beja 2-0.

Esperance and Etoile Sportive Sahel trail behind Monastir on goal difference, as they all have nine points.

Esperance defeated Stade Tunisien 2-0, with Ali Zitouni returning from a long injury spell to score his side's second goal in the 86th minute. Stade missed a penalty and had defender Anis Nasri sent-off for a second bookable offence.

South Africa

Nigerian goalkeeper Greg Etafia continued his good form for Moroka Swallows, helping his team to reach the final of the Supa Eight competition by saving three penalties against Wits University in Saturday's semi-final in Johannesburg.

Etafia saved a penalty from Wits' Zimbabwean import Charles Yohane in extra time and saved two more in the resultant shoot-out to help Swallows to a 4-3 win.

In the other semi-final played on Sunday, Jomo Cosmos' Mozambican international Manuel 'Tico-Tico' Bucuane scored the winner in their 1-0 triumph over Dynamos.