Veteran Burkina Faso striker Aristide Bance grabbed a hat-trick for Guinea’s Horoya in the first leg of a Confederation Cup play-off.
The 35-year-old’s goals came in Horoya’s 4-2 win over visiting Bandari of Kenya.
There was also a triple for Zambia’s Ziyo Tembo,34, in Zanaco’s 3-1 victory over Cano Sport Academy of Equatorial Guinea in Malabo
The overall winners of the ties will progress to the group stage of the second-tier continental tournament.
Horoya were ahead within a minute of the kick-off and scored a second goal before Bandari fought back to be level at 2-2 by half-time.
Bance, whose nomadic career includes spells with 22 clubs in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, netted twice during the second half for the multi-national Guinean team.
Horoya are bankrolled by Antonio Souare, a businessman who has pumped millions of dollars into the club in pursuit of African glory.
They reached the African Champions League quarter-finals in the past two editions, but were knocked out of the latest tournament in the final qualifying round for the group phase.
This triggered demotion to the second-tier Confederation Cup as they seek a second continental title after winning the 1978 Cup Winners Cup.
Tembo’s hat-trick for Zanaco in Malabo over Cano Sport Academy was interrupted by a floodlight failure which temporarily halted play during the second half.
He scored either side of half-time to give the Lusaka outfit a two-goal advantage and he completed the scoring 11 minutes from time after Jose Fidel Sipi had halved the deficit.
Nigerian contenders had mixed fortunes with Enyimba overcoming South African second division side TS Galaxy 2-0 in Aba while Enugu Rangers fell 2-1 away to ASC Kara of Togo in Lome.
Twice African champions Enyimba ended a four-match winning continental streak by Galaxy thanks to goals from Victor Mbaoma on seven minutes and Martins Usule after an hour.
Galaxy, who qualified by stunning Kaizer Chiefs in the domestic cup final, impressed with an adventurous approach and had a first-half goal disallowed for offside.
A stoppage-time goal from Richard Nene brought Kara victory over Enugu, whose lone continental triumph came 42 years ago in the now defunct African Cup Winners Cup.
Kenyan club Gor Mahia were held 1-1 in Nairobi by DC Motema Pembe of the DR Congo after a dramatic clash of two other former Cup Winners Cup trophy-holders.
Gor took a second-half lead that lasted just eight minutes, goalkeeper David Mapigano saved a penalty, and they finished with 10 men because Charles Momanyi was red-carded.
Big-spending Egyptian side Pyramids built a 2-1 lead away to Young Africans of Tanzania in lakeside city Mwanza through goals from Burkinabe Eric Traore and Abdallah el Said.
Fosa Juniors of Madagascar upset 2018/2019 Confederation Cup runners-up Renaissance Berkane of Morocco 2-0 in the Indian Ocean island with the second goal coming from a stoppage-time penalty.
The second legs are scheduled for November 1-3 with the aggregate winners advancing to a November 10 group draw in Cairo.
Confederation Cup play-off first leg results:
Horoya (Guinea) 4-2 Bandari (Kenya)
Young Africans (Tanzania) 1-2 Pyramids (Egypt)
Enyimba (Nigeria) 2-0 TS Galaxy (South Africa)
KCCA (Uganda) 0-0 Paradou (Algeria)
Gor Mahia (Kenya) 1-1 DC Motema Pembe
UD Songo (Mozambique) 1-2 Bidvest Wits (South Africa)
Elect-Sport (Chad) 0-1 Djoliba (Mali)
Green Eagles (Zambia) 1-1 Hassania Agadir (Morocco)
Cano Sport Academy (Equatorial Guinea) 1-3 Zanaco (Zambia)
Fosa Juniors (Madagascar) 2-0 Renaissance Berkane (Morocco)
Cote d’Or (Seychelles) 0-4 Al Masry (Egypt)
ASC Kara (Togo) 2-1 Enugu Rangers (Nigeria)
Nouadhibou (Mauritania) 2-0 Triangle Utd (Zimbabwe)
Al Nasr (Libya) 2-2 Proline (Uganda) Note: match moved from Libya for security reasons
Confederation Cup play-off first leg fixtures:
Asante Kotoko (Ghana) 0-0 San Pedro (Ivory Coast) – match abandoned at half-time due to waterlogged pitch. The second half will be played 28 October
Generation Foot (Senegal) v ESAE (Benin) – Playing 30 October
