Eliya Mandanji opened the scoring in the 39th minute. Alassane Diarra added the second 12 minutes after half-time. The Airmen take a two-goal cushion and a clean sheet into the return on 13 September in Saint Louis, Mauritius.
Head coach Chisi Mbewe said afterwards that the most important part of the night was scoring twice without conceding. FC Rouge, making their first appearance in a CAF club competition, were restricted after Mandanji’s breakthrough. Their coach, Abdoul Amada, was barred from the bench by CAF officials over questions about his credentials.
The result sits among Saturday’s stronger home wins in the first preliminary round. Shooting Stars also won 1-0 against CS Sfaxien, while ASKO de Kara and Al Ahly Tripoli posted heavier away victories elsewhere on the card.
Red Arrows finished second in last season’s Zambian Super League behind Power Dynamos and enter this competition as one of the country’s two continental representatives. A two-goal lead does not close the tie, but it forces FC Rouge to score at least twice in Mauritius without reply if they are to go through in 90 minutes.
The Airmen now prepare for the second leg knowing a draw of any kind, or even a one-goal defeat, would be enough. For FC Rouge, the task is to find the cutting edge they lacked in Ndola. Saturday was a controlled opening night for Zambia’s Confederation Cup campaign.