CAF Champions League
Crucial ties for Simba SC, Al-Hilal in CAF Champions League group stage
Teams from the CECAFA Zone Simba SC and Al-Hilal will be back in action in the 2023/2024 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League group matches this evening.
Tanzanian Premier League side Simba SC who stopped Wydad AC (Morocco) 2-0 in their last Group B match last December will be all out to pick crucial points when they face table leaders ASEC Mimosas at the Felix Houphouet Boigng Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Simba SC who reached the quarter final stage of the same competition last year are placed second on the log with 5 points, while ASEC Mimosas lead with 10 points.
Abdelhak Benchikha, the Simba Sc head coach has made it clear that they must be at their best in the away match against ASEC Mimosas. “We need to get a good result and the players know that we must work hard as a team,” added Benchikha.
The other two teams in Group B Jwaneng Galaxy and former champions Wydad AC who will also face-off are placed third (4 points) and fourth (3 points) respectively.
In a Group C match Sudan’s Al-Hilal will face a tricky tie against Group C table leaders Petro de Luanda (Angola). Because of the tense political situation in Sudan, Al-Hilal will host the match at the Benina Martyrs Stadium in Benghazi, Libya.
Coach Florent Ibenge’s Al-Hilal team are placed bottom of the log with 4 points, while the Angola giants lead with 8 points. The other teams two Tunisian sides in the group Esperance de Tunis and Etoile du Sahel have collected 5 and 4 points respectively.
On Saturday another teams from the CECAFA Zone Young Africans SC will play away to CR Belouizdad (Algeria) at the Stade du 5 Julillet Stadium in Algiers.
Young Africans SC who humbled Medeama FC (Ghana) 3-0 in their last group match are third on the log with the same number of points with CR Belouizdad who have a better goal difference. Giants Al Ahly (Egypt) lead the group with 6 points, while Medeama FC are bottom with 4 points.
Sudan giants Al Hilal have continued with their winning ways in the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League Group A campaign.
Coach Florent Ibenge’s side stunned hosts MC Alger 1-0 with Guessouma Fofana scoring the lone goal after 76 minutes in Algiers, Algeria on Saturday night.
The win keeps Al Hilal comfortably top of the log with nine points after they had also stopped Young Africans SC 2-0 in Dar es Salaam and defeated TP Mazembe 2-1 in a match played in Mauritania a week ago.
“I am very happy that my players remained focused and collected the three points. We need to keep focused because we still have more games to go,” said Ibenge after the match.
In an earlier Group A match Tanzania’s Young Africans SC picked their first point in the Group stage after a 1-1 draw away to TP Mazembe in Kinsasha.
Substitute Cheick Fofana gave TP Mazembe the lead after 41 minutes, but Zimbabwean International Prince Dube leveled matters in the dying minutes of the game.
While Al Hilal have now collected 9 points, MC Alger are second with 4 points. TP Mazembe are in third place with 2 points, while Young Africans SC only have 1 point and are bottom of the log.
Sudan’s Al Hilal have stopped TP Mazembe 2-1 to maintain their winning run in Group A of the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.
After shocking Young Africans SC 2-0 in the opening match played in Dar es Salaam a week ago, Al Hilal made sure they collected another straight win against DR Congo giants in a match played on Sunday at the Cheikha Ouid Boidiya Stadium in Mauritania.
Al Hilal were awarded a penalty after 22 minutes, and Mohamed Abdel Rahman made no mistake from the spot to make it 1-0.
After recess TP Mazembe pushed forward and leveled matters after 64 minutes through Oscar Kabwit Tshikomb. Substitute Jean Claude Girumigisha came to the rescue to ensure Al Hilal collected maximum points with a winning goal one minute of added time.
“It was a very tough match. But I am happy that my players concentrated till the end of the match,” said a happy Al Hilal coach Florent Ibenge after the match.
Group A table leaders Al Hilal will next travel to face Algeria’s MC Alger on December 14th, while Young Africans SC play away to TP Mazembe in DR Congo.
Tanzanian Premier League reigning champions Young Africans SC will be hoping to return to winning ways when the face MC Alger in a 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League Group A tie on Saturday.
The tricky encounter will take place at the Stade du 5 Juillet in the capital Algiers
After losing their opening Group A match 2-0 to Sudan’s Al Hilal in Dar es Salaam last weekend, Young Africans SC’s new coach Sead Ramovic will be hoping that his team can return strongly.
“We need to be very cautious because the match is away from home and we must play better than we played against Al Hilal,” says Ramovic.
“We are coming up against a difficult team with many experienced players but we also have a side with very good players too. We are under pressure after losing our first game but that also gives us the strength to prepare well for tomorrow’s encounter,” added the coach.
While Young Africans SC suffered defeat in their opening Group A match, MC Alger picked a goalless draw away to TP Mazembe in DR Congo.
Group A table leaders Al Hilal will return to action against TP Mazembe on Sunday in a match they will hosts at the Cheikha Ould Boïdiya Stadium, Nouakchott in Mauritania.
Sudan giants Al Hilal have kick started their Group A TotalEnergies CAF Champions League campaign in style with a 2-0 away win against Young Africans SC.
After a goalless first half, coach Florent Ibenge’s team returned strong to score through Adam Coulibaly and Mozamir Yasir to shock the Tanzanian giants in-front of their fans at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday.
The Malian put Al Hilal ahead after 63 minutes, before Yasir put the icing on the cake after 90 minutes. It was also the first match for newly recruited Young Africans SC coach Sead Ramovic whose side missed the services of injured Ugandan international Khalid Aucho.
“We are very happy to collect maximum points away from home. We need to remain focused,” said Al Hilal’s coach Ibenge after the match.
Ramovic, the Young Africans coach made it clear that there is still work to be done in-terms of team fitness and general play.
Al Hilal are now top of Group A after the match between hosts TP Mazembe from DR Congo and MC Alger ended goalless.
-
CECAFA10 years agoBotswana beats Kenya in African Youth Championships
-
Top stories5 years agoWe need to win the first match against Coronavirus – Infantino
-
CECAFA5 years agoCecafa mourns former chairman Tesfaye Ghebreyesus
-
NEWS3 years agoFIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers: Eritrea ejects Djibouti 6-1 on aggregate
-
CECAFA U-18 Boys Championship1 year agoSemi-final stage set for CECAFA U-18 Championship 2023
-
CAF5 years agoCAF approves dates for 2020 Total African Nations Championship in Cameroon
-
NEWS3 years agoYoung Africans SC face Nyasa Big Bullets in CECAFA Kagame Cup kick-off
-
CECAFA Dar Port Kagame Cup5 months agoHay Al Wadi, Al Hilal qualify for knock out stage of CECAFA Dar Port Kagame Cup