CAF Champions League
History awaits Simba SC, Young Africans in CAF Champions League quarter final stage
Tanzania Premier League sides Simba SC and Young Africans SC will firmly carry the CECAFA flag this weekend when they face different opponents in the first leg of the 2023/2024 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.
The two teams await to make history at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam when Simba SC take on African giants Al Ahly (Egypt) on Friday, while Young Africans SC battle South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns FC the next day.
After failing to go past the quarter final stage last season, Simba SC will be more than hungry to try and prove a point in a match expected to have fans fill the Stadium in what is anticipated a mother of all battles.
Interestingly when the two sides last faced off last year in the inaugural African Football League, Simba SC settled for a 2-2 draw in the first leg in Dar es Salaam, while the second leg also ended 1-1, but the Egyptians qualified for the next phase on an away goals rule. In the group stage of the 2020/2021 Champions League Simba SC defeated Al Ahly 1-0, and the Egyptian giants also picked a similar score in Cairo.
Abdelhak Benchikha, Simba SC’s Algerian coach has however made it clear that they need to be in total control of the match from the start to the end because the first leg is very important in determining what comes out of the quarter final played over two legs. “We need to play as a unit because we are facing a strong side,” adds Benchikha.
To reach the quarter final stage Simba Sc ejected Zambia’s Power Dynamos in the second round, before coming out second in the group stage that had former champions Wydad AC, ASEC Mimosas and Jwaneng Galaxy from Botswana.
The Reds of Msimbazi Simba will look to some of their experienced players including DR Congo midfielder Henock Inonga Baka who helped his team finish fourth at the AFCON 2023 in Ivory Coast last month.
For Young Africans SC who lost in the final of the 2022/2024 TotalEnegies CAF Confederation Cup to Algeria’s USM Alger they are hoping to re-write their own history. It is the third time that they appear at this stage and are determined to leave their mark in the prestigious tournament.
But they come against a very tricky side, champions in 2016 and also lifted the inaugural African League last year. The Citizens as they are known how however vowed to go all out and ensure they get the much needed result before the return leg in South Africa.
Head coach Miguel Angel Gamondi has said although they respect Mamelodi Sundowns, his team has what it takes to get a good result at home. “We know what we must do to go past the first leg and later prepare for the return leg,” adds the Argentine.
Gamondi who brings a lot of experienced having handled Wydad AC, CR Belouizdad, and USM Alger among others is expected to make some changes to his team since some players are expected to return from injury.
The likes of Paçome Zouzoua from Ivory Coast has so far played a pivotal role in seeing Young Africans reach this far and a lot will be expected from him come Saturday.
Zouzoua has had four goals and two assists in nine games in the competition. To get this far Young Africans saw off Djibouti Telecom in the first preliminary round, and ejected Al Merreikh in the second round. They finished second in the group that had Al Ahly, CR Belouizdad (Algeria) and Medeama (Ghana).
Besides the locals in Tanzania several football fans from around the East and Central region and Africa have already arrived in Dar es Salaam to watch history being made by the top two Tanzanian sides.
The winner between Simba SC and Al Ahly will prepare to battle the winner between Esperance de Tunis and ASEC Mimosas at the semi-final stage, while the winner between Young Africans SC and Mamelodi Sundowns will take on the winners between TP Mazembe (DR Congo) and Angola’s Petro de Luanda.
Sudan Premier League side Al Hilal are out of the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.
Coach Florent Ibenge’s team lost 1-0 in their quarter final return leg against Al Ahly played at the Cheikha Ould Boïdiya Stadium in Nouakchott, Mauritania.
The Egyptian giants qualified on a 2-0 goal aggregate having won the first leg 1-0.
After a goalless first half, Al Hilal piled lots of pressure, but failed to find the goals. Ali Abdalla came close after 63 minutes, but Al Ahly goalkeeper Taher Muhamed was quick to block the ball.
It was Emam Ashour who netted the lone goal for Al Ahly against the run of play after 80 minutes. against the run of play
Al Hilal’s defeat marked the end of a team from the CECAFA Zone in the competition. Another Egyptian side Pyramids also sailed through to the semi-final stage on a 4-3 goal aggregate.
Former champions Mamelodi Sundowns also made it through, while Orlando Pirates who carry a 1-0 advantage against MC Alger are yet to play the second leg.
The head coach of Al Hilal, Florent Ibenge has said his team must be at it’s best when they host Al Ahly in the return leg in the quarter final stage of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.
Ibenge’s team lost the first leg 1-0 in a match played at the Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday.
But Ibenge has made it clear they must be at their best and also use home advantage when they host Al Ahly on Tuesday at the Cheikha Ould Boïdiya Stadium, Nouakchott in Mauritania.
“We know Al Ahly is a good team and we now know what to do in the return leg. It will not be an easy match, but we need to be sharper at the front and also defend with a lot of caution,” added the experienced coach.
The Sudan Premier League giants who have had to play in the Mauritanian Premier League in the 2024/2025 season because of the political instability back home will count on the support in Nouakchott.
Al Hilal also boost of a fairly good record playing in Nouakchott winning against San Pedro (Ivory Coast) in the second round, against TP Mazembe and drawing against MC Alger in the Group stage, and suffering a 1-0 defeat to Tanzania’s Young Africans SC.
Al Hilal are the only team from the CECAFA Zone playing at the quarter final stage of the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.
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.
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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