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CAF Champions League

CAF Champions League: Simba SC, Young Africans face tricky away battles

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Three teams from the CECAFA Zone Simba SC, Young Africans and Al Merriekh will all be in action in the first leg second preliminary round of the 2023/2024 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League on Saturday.

Tanzanian sides Simba SC and Young Africans will face tricky tests when they play away in the first leg ties. Simba SC who get into the mix for the first time this season will play away to Zambia’s Power Dynamos FC, while Young Africans SC take on Al Merriekh (Sudan) at the Kigali Pele Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda.

Having reached the quarter final stage last season, Simba SC will be more than hungry to see that they aim higher this time starting with a good result away from home.

Roberto Oliveira, Simba’s Brazillian coach has made it clear that every match in the CAF Champions League is not easy. ” I know matches at this level are very tough, but we have prepared well enough and will be out to try and get a good first leg result,  ” added Oliveira.

Moses Phiri, one of Simba SC’s forwards also made it clear that the match against Power Dynamos will be a tough one. Besides trying to defend well, Simba SC will also hope that some of their forwards Phiri, Jean Baleke, Shaban Chilunga and veteran John Bocco find their scoring touch.

Young Africans SC, finalists in the 2022/2023 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup will be eager to send a strong message when they face Al Merriekh in the first leg.

New Young Africans SC coach Miguel Angel Gamondi who took over in June 2023 has aid they will treat the match very seriously because the away match is very important before they host the Sudan team. ” The players know it will be a tough match and we must give our best, ” added Miguel Ángel Gamondi whose team ejected Djibouti Telecom 7-1 on aggregate in the first round and have made a good start scoring 10 goals in two League matches played at home.

On Sunday Rwanda’s APR FC will face Egyptian side Pyramids FC in Kigali, Al Hilal (Sudan) take on Primero de Agosto away in Angola.

Meanwhile, Burundi’s Bumamuru FC suffered a 4-0 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns FC in the first leg second preliminary round of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League match played at the Azam Complex in Tanzania on Friday.

The hosts Bumamuru tried to push forward early, but the Mamelodi Sundowns’ defenders closed out Theodore Ngabirano and Ali Shabani Valentin.

After 11 minutes the South African giants earned penalty after a handball in the box, and Lucas Ribeiro made no mistake from the spot. Ribeiro made it 2-0 after 37 minutes and Lesiba Nku made sure they went 3-0 up at the interval. Peter Shalulile back from injury also got his name on the score sheet 10 minutes to the final whistle.

CAF Champions League

Sudan’s Al Hilal ready for Al Ahly test in Champions League quarter final

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Sudan giants Al Hilal are set to face Egypt’s Al Ahly in the first leg of the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League at the Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday night.

Florent Ibenge, the Al Hilal coach has made it clear that the first leg will be very important because it sets the ground for the return leg.

“We know that Al Ahly are a big team that has won several trophies on the continent, but we have tactically prepared and know how we must handle the match. This round is won over two legs and that is what we have prepared for,” says Ibenge.

Although Al Hilal have been disadvantaged to play all their home matches away from Khartoum because of the political instability back in Sudan, they have showed stability and only lost two matches in all 10 matches they have played in the initial stages going into the quarter final.

Al Hilal, the only team in the CECAFA Zone playing in the quarter final stage will look to skipper Muhamed Abdelrahman to lead the team in hunt for goals together with Adam Coulibaly and Burundian International Jean Claude Girumugisha.

To reach the quarter final stage Al Hilal ejected Al Ahly Benghazi (Libya) and San Pedro (Ivory Coast) in the first and second rounds respectively. They went on to top Group A that MC Alger (Algeria), Young Africans SC (Tanzania) and DR Congo’s TP Mazembe.

The other quarter final matches to be played on Tuesday include Pyramids facing AS FAR, Mamelodi Sundowns battling against Esperance de Tunis, and MC Alger taking on Orlando Pirates.

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CAF Champions League

Sudan’s Al Hilal to face giants Al Ahly in CAF Champions League quarter final

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Sudan’s Al Hilal have been drawn to face reigning champions Al Ahly at the quarter final stage of the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

The draw of Africa’s most prestigious club tournament was conducted on Thursday at the beIN studio in Doha, Qatar.

Al Hilal are the only team from the CECAFA Zone to make it to the quarter final stage after Young Africans SC from Tanzania dropped out in the group stage.

Despite the political conflict in Sudan which forced Al Hilal handled by Florent Ibenge to play outside the country, they managed to top the group.

Incase Al Hilal eliminate the 12-time champions Al Ahly, they will face the winner between Mamelodi Sundowns and Esperance Sportive de Tunis at the semi-final stage.

The other two quarter final ties will see Pyramids FC (Egypt) take on AS FAR (Morocco), while Algeria’s MC Alger of Algeria face another South African side Orlando Pirates.

Matches at the quarter-final stage will be played over two legs, with the first leg scheduled for April 1st, 2025 and the return leg on April 8th.

Quarter finals

Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) vs Esperance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia)

Al Ahly SC (Egypt) vs Al Hilal SC (Sudan)

MC Alger (Algeria) vs Orlando Pirates (South Africa)

Pyramids FC (Egypt) vs AS FAR (Morocco)

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CAF Champions League

Young Africans SC miss out on CAF Champions League knock out stage

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Tanzania Premier League side Young Africans SC have failed to book a place in the quarter-final stage of the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

Young Africans SC needed nothing less than victory against MC Alger in the last group match played in Dar es Salaam on Saturday, but settled for a goalless draw.

Coach Sead Ramovic’s team revived their hopes last weekend after defeating table leaders Al Hilal (Sudan) 1-0 in an away match played in Mauritania. The draw against the Algerian side meant that they finished third in the group with 8 points.

In the second Group A match played in DR Congo, bottom placed TP Mazembe shocked Al Hilal 4-0. Jean Diouf and Ibrahim Keita gave TP Mazembe a 2-0 half time lead.

After the interval Merceil Ngimbi Vumbi increased the lead, and Suleman Shaibu converted a late penalty to make it 4-0.

Al Hilal finished top with 10 points, while MC Alger came second with 9 points and TP Mazembe bottom with 5 points.

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CAF Champions League

Young Africans SC revenge against Al Hilal in CAF Champions League

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Young Africans SC have picked a 1-0 win away to Al Hilal to improve their chances of qualifying for the knock-out stage of the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

Stephane Aziz Ki netted the only goal after 7 minutes in the  Group A match played on Sunday at the Cheikha Ould Boïdiya Stadium in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

The Tanzanian side who lost their opening Group match 2-0 to the same Sudan team last year made sure they picked the revenge as they dominated most of the match.

Although Al Hilal have already qualified for the quarter final stage with 10 points, Young Africans SC closed the gap as they moved to 7 points, one behind second placed MC Alger from Algeria.

Young Africans SC will now need to register a win in their last Group A match against MC Alger on January 18th, 2025 at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam. Last year Tanzanian sides Young Africans SC and Simba SC reached the quarter-final stage.

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