USM Alger survived a scare in the first leg of their Caf Champions League preliminary round game against AS SONIDEP before claiming a 2-1 win at Stade General Seyni Kountche.
The Algerian outfit fell behind in the 14th minute after Amadou Sabo kept his composure from 12 yards to send the Niger side into a surprising lead with a penalty.
It stayed that way until half-time, but the Red and Blacks turned the match around after the break following a Zakaria Benchaa brace to put the Algerians in the driving seat heading into the second-leg at the Omar Hamadi Stadium on August 23.
In the other fixture between JS Kabylie and Al-Merrikh at Stade de l'Unite Maghrebine, a Rida Bensayah strike just before the end of the first-half separated the sides as the home side won 1-0.
The Algerians travel to Sudan in 14 days for the return fixture to determine which side goes through.
The winner of the aforementioned ties will square up in the second round of the preliminary round of the competition.
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