Sudan’s Al Hilal have earned a vital 2-2 away draw against FC San Pedro in a first leg tie of the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League second preliminary round.

Handled by Florent Ibenge, the Al Hilal team battled from 2-1 down to level matters and improve their chances of making it to the group stage.

The Ivorian team took the lead after 32 minutes through Guy Bedi, but Mohamed Abdel Raman made it 1-1 after 42 minutes. After the interval San Pedro defender Goudouss Bamba restored their lead after 65 minutes, but Raman made sure he netted his second with six minutes to the end of the tie to keep the Sudan team with hopes of making it to the group stage.

In another match played on Sunday involving a team from the CECAFA Zone, Kenyan giants Gor Mahia FC suffered a 3-0 defeat to African giants Al Ahly from Egypt in a match played at the Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.

Rami Rabia and Percy Tau scored for the Egyptian side in the first 15 minutes, and the South African International Tau netted his second goal of the day after 74 minutes.

In Tunis, Somalia’s Dekedeha FC lost 4-1 to Esperance de Tunis.  The Tunisian champions took a 27th minute lead through Yan Sasse, but Nigerian import Adepoji Oluwasen leveled matters for Somali Premier League reigning champions Dekedaha FC two minutes into added time of the first half.

After recess Youcef Belaili scored a brace and Yassine Meriah also scored one goal to help Esperance de Tunis register a comfortable win.

In the matches played on Saturday, Tanzania’s Young Africans SC picked a slim 1-0 win away to Commercial Bank of Ethiopia FC 1-0 in a match played at the Abebe Bikila Stadium. New signing Zimbabwe International Prince Dube netted the lone goal after 45 minutes.

At the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, APR FC settled for a 1-1 draw against Pyramids FC from Egypt. The Rwanda army side took a first half lead through an own goal by Mohamed Chibi, but DR Congo International Fiston Mayele Kalala leveled matters late in the match.

Sudan’s Al Merriekh who hosted AS FAR (Morocco) at the Juba National Stadium in South Sudan could only manage a 2-2 draw. Elsamani Elsawi and Mohamed Gbane scored for the hosts, while Mohamed Hrimat and Abdelfettah Hadraf got their names on the scoring sheet for the visitors.

The return legs of the second preliminary round to determine the 16 teams that will qualify for the group stage will be played between September 20-21st, 2024.

Collected results

Dekedeha FC 1 Esperance de Tunis 4

FC San Pedro 2 Al Hilal 2

Gor Mahia 0 Al Ahly 3

APR FC 1 Pryamids 1

Al Merriekh 2 AS FAR 2

 CBE 0 Young Africans 1

Four teams from the CECAFA Zone will be in action in the first leg of the second preliminary round of the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

Sudan’s Al Merriekh and Rwanda reigning champions APR FC will face tough home tests against AS FAR and Pyramids FC respectively.

Al Merriekh who ejected Libya’s Al Nasr in the first preliminary round 2-0 on aggregate will host the tricky Moroccan side at the Juba National Stadium in South Sudan.

At the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali APR FC will come face to face with Pyramids who eliminated cted them last season 6-1 on aggregate.  The Rwanda side will be eager to make use of the home advantage before traveling to Cairo for the return leg.

Foreign recruits Aliou Souane (Senegal), Richmond Lamptey (Ghana), Seidu Yussif Dauda (Ghana), Mamadou Sy (Mauritania), Lamine Bah (Mali) and Godwin Odibo (Nigeria) are some of the players expected to play key roles for the APR side. The Pyramids team will look to the likes of Congolese striker Fiston Malele.

Tanzanian giants Young Africans SC will also play away to Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) are the Abebe Bikila Stadium in Addis Ababa. While Young Africans ejected Vital’O from Burundi 10-0 on aggregate, and CBE saw off SC Villa from Uganda 3-2 on aggregate in the first round.

Another team from the CECAFA Zone Dekedeha FC from Somalia will play away to Esperance de Tunis at the Stade Hammodi Agrebi in Tunis.  

On Sunday Kenyan giants Gor Mahia will face their biggest teat when they host African giants Al Ahly from Egypt at the Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi. The same day Sudan’s Al Hilal will play away to Ivory Coast’s San Pedro.

The 16 winners of the second round will advance to the group stage.

Five teams from the CECAFA Zone have progressed to the 2^nd preliminary round of the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

Somalia’s Dekedaha SC were the first to book a place and write their own history after losing 4-3 to Arta Solar 7 (Djibouti) on Friday, but qualified on a 5-3 aggregate. They will now face Esperance de Tunis from Tunisia at the next level.

El Merriekh who had battled to a goalless draw away to Al Nasr in the first leg in Libya were in scoring mood today when they picked a 2-0 victory in the return leg played at the Juba Stadium in South Sudan. Mohammed Qabbani netted in each half to ensure his team qualified for the next round.

Tanzania Premier League reigning champions Young Africans SC also sailed through comfortably with a 6-0 thrashing of Vital’O (Burundi) to qualify on a 10-0 goal aggregate. Zouzoua Pacome netted an early 14^th minute penalty kick. Clement Nzize made it 2-0 as the game went to recess at the Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam.

Zambian international Clatous Chama, Prince Dube, Azizi Ki and Mudathir Yahya also got their names on the score sheet. Young Africans SC will now face Commercial Bank of Ethiopia in the 2^nd preliminary round.

The debutants Commercial Bank of Ethiopia booked their place in the next stage on a 3-2 goal aggregate against Uganda’s SC Villa. The Ethiopian side picked a 2-1 win in Kampala, but the return leg played at the Abebe Bikila Stadium in Addis Ababa on Saturday ended 1-1.

In Kigali at the Amahoro Stadium APR FC went all out and defeated Azam FC (Tanzania) 2-0 to qualify on a 2-1 goal aggregate. Jean Bosco Ruboneka and Gilbert Mugisha scored for APR FC. The Rwanda Premier League side will now face Pyramids (Egypt) who ejected JKU SC from Zanzibar.  

Action continues on Sunday with Kenyan giants Gir Mahia hosting El Merriekh Bentiu from South Sudan at the Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi, while Al Hilal (Sudan) also take on Al Ahly Benghazi (Libya) at the Juba Stadium in South Sudan.

Dekedaha SC will be all out to try and eliminate Arta Solar 7 in the return leg of the 1^st preliminary round of the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

After securing a 2-0 advantage in the first leg, the Somalia Premier League reigning champions will be more than hungry to see off the Djibouti team to write their own history in the competition by making it to the next stage.

The two teams will again face-off this evening at the Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Idris Bilal, one of the scorer’s in the first leg played last week has made it clear that he is hungry to score more goals in the return leg. “I want to score more goals that will take us to the next stage,” added Bilal. The Djibouti champions will have to keep close watch of Adam Haggio who netted the first goal in the 1^st leg.

Dekedeha SC have never gone past the first stage in any CAF tournament. The last time in 2019 they lost twice to Egypt’s Zamalek in the 1^st preliminary round of the CAF Champions League.

Zanzibar Premier League champions JKU SC will also be in action tonight against Pyramids FC in Cairo. JKU SC suffered a 6-0 defeat in the first leg.

Action continues on Saturday when more teams from the CECAFA Zone will take to the field. Commercial Bank of Ethiopia who won the first leg 2-1 in Kampala will host SC Villa (Uganda) at the Abebe Bikila Stadium, while Vital’O (Burundi) face Young Africans SC (Tanzania). Rwanda’s APR FC will also host Azam FC (Tanzania) in Kigali.