Remo Stars of Nigeria played out a 1-1 preliminary round first leg draw on their continental debut against former CAF Confederation Cup winners FAR Rabat in Morocco on Sunday.
Diney Borges gave the Moroccan side a first-half lead but Olamilekan Adebayo, who topscored in the Value Jet preseason tournament, levelled early in the second half for Remo.
The Ikenne-based side qualified for the continental competition by virtue of finishing third in the Nigeria Professional Football League last season.
The Moroccans laid siege to Stars’ goalmouth as the second half progressed seeking to regain the lead but the visitors, through the heroics of goaltender Kayode Bankole, held on for an unexpected draw.
The teams meet again next weekend with the winner of the tie facing the winner of the matchup between Ashanti Golden Boys of Guinea and Nouakchott Kings of Mauritania in a last-32 tie during October.