AN OVERCROWDED Cairo press box held up a CAF Champions League fixture by 15 minutes on Sunday while Berekum Chelsea of Ghana and Recreativo do Libolo of Angola went on goal sprees in other last-32 ties.

Footballers from Africa Sports of Ivory Coast complained at half time that there were too many people in the media area at the Military Academy Stadium, where they were playing Zamalek of Egypt behind closed doors.

Journalists without authorisation were evicted from the ground before play resumed and Zamalek won the first leg 1-0 thanks to a first-minute goal from Benin striker Razak Omotoyossi.

Zamalek, winners of the elite CAF club competition five times, also had to bar spectators from a preliminary tie against Young Africans of Tanzania as part of the punishment for crowd trouble in the same competition last year.

Cairo neighbours Al Ahly, who hold a record six Champions League titles, forced a 0-0 draw at Coffee of Ethiopia with rival goalkeepers Gebrekidan Mussei and Sherif Ekrami outstanding.

Veteran Ahly midfielder Mohamed Abou Treika squandered a chance to snatch victory with an injury-time miss in the stamina-sapping 2400m altitude of the Addis Ababa national stadium.

It was the first competitive outing for Ahly since February 1 when riots after their domestic league loss to Al Masry in Port Said claimed 74 lives with many crushed or stabbed to death.

Recreativo followed up a shock preliminary round victory over Orlando Pirates by whipping Sunshine Stars of Nigeria 4-1 at their 5000-seat stadium in Calulo, south of Luanda.

Fellow Nigerians Dolphins scraped a 2-1 win over Cameroon visitors Cotonsport Garoua in Port Harcourt courtesy of an 87th-minute goal from Owusu Addae after Ifeanyi Egwin gave the home team an early lead and Jacques Haman equalised.