By Beng Emmanuel Kum

Astre FC of Douala maintained their lead at the top of pool B of the Cameroon MTN Elite One Championship despite being held to a goalless draw by Union sportive of Douala in a regional derby at the Ahmadou Ahidjou Stadium in Yaoundé.  

The stalemate ends a run of four wins for the three-time runners-up and leaves them just two points above nearest challengers Canon Sportive of Yaoundé, who could reclaim the top spot with a win.

Les Astre headed into the fixture with hopes of opening a four point gap but were outplayed in the first half by Union. They created little throughout the game but mounted some late pressure on their rivals with efforts from Valentin Beo Bato, Christian Deugoue while players like Axel Ndzana was exceptional at the back.

Union Sportive of Douala bossed possession and seemed in complete control of the game in the beginning. However, they failed to find the breakthrough despite creating a good number of chances.

On many occasions, they missed the opportunity to unblock their opponents defence. Despite their dominance, they barely created an opening until Nelson Joel Moukeu had the first attempt on goal while Ivan Mvondo Olama wasted their best chance at the 46^th minute.

They also created a few opportunities in the second half but goalkeeper Jourdain Mbaynaissek produced some important saves to deny them from taking the lead. Both sides had the chance to score in the last 10 minutes of the game, but did not capitalize on them.

The draw ensured Astre FC of Douala remains top of their pool with 20pts from 9 games. Union on their part moved up to 4^th with 14 points.