Egypt s Ahly kicked off their bid to win the African Champions League for the first time since 2013 with an easy 4-0 win over South Sudan s Atlabara in the first leg of the preliminary round on Sunday.
Moroccan striker Walid Azaro scored twice and wasted a slew of goal-scoring chances as Ahly put one foot in the second round.
In-form Tunisian left-back Ali Maaloul, Ahly s best performer last season, converted a 17th-minute penalty to put them ahead and substitute Ahmed El-Sheikh put the icing on the cake with a stoppage-time goal.
Although the match was played at Alexandria s Borg El-Arab Stadium, it was Ahly s away fixture as both sides agreed to play both legs in the Mediterranean city.
As expected, Ahly dominated the early proceedings and they went ahead via a precise spot-kick from Maaloul after central midfielder Amr El-Sulaya was fouled in the area.
Azaro almost scored a beauty a few minutes later but his brilliant overhead kick struck the crossbar.
He made amends on 32 minutes with an easy tap-in after some good work from winger Hussein El-Shahat down the right flank.
Azaro, who is often criticised by Ahly s faithful for his wastefulness, squandered some easy chances, including hitting the ball wide with the goal at his mercy.
But he scored again three minutes into the second half, with his tame header spilled by the keeper into the net.
El-Sheikh completed the rout two minutes into the injury time with a simple finish after skipping past his challenger in the area.
