CAF Champions League
Simba SC, Al Hilal, Al Merriekh all in action
Three teams from the CECAFA Zone will all be in action later tonight in the group stage of the 2022/2023 TotalEnergies CAF Champions league.
Tanzania’s Simba SC will be looking for a good start when they face Horoya AC in Conakry in a Group C clash.
Simba’s new coach Coach Roberto Oliveira has made it clear that although they respect the hosts, his players are determined and ready to go all out for a win. “It is always good to start the group stage with a win and that is what we shall be aiming for,” added Oliveira.
It will be the first time the Brazilian coach is in-charge of the Reds in the CAF TotalEnergies Champions League, having joined from Uganda’s Vipers SC who he guided to qualification for the group stage for the first time.
Sudan Premier League reigning champions Al Hilal will also face a tough task away to on-form Mamelodi Sundowns at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium I South Africa.
But after camping in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania for over two weeks where they played friendly matches against Namungo FC, Azam FC and Simba SC, Al Hilal coach Florent Ibenge says his team is well tuned for this battle.
“We know Sundowns is an experienced team that has won the Champions League before, but we are here for a serious mission,” added the experienced Ibenge.
Another team from Sudan Al Merriekh who have got all the experience playing at this level will play a Group D match away to Esperance de Tunis in Tunisia.
The three teams from CECAFA Zone will hope to make a good start of their campaign, after Uganda’s Vipers SC failed to get a good result away from home on Friday night in Morocco.
Vipers SC suffered a 5-0 defeat to Raja Casablanca in Morocco in a Group C tie that was played behind closed doors since CAF banned the hosts from having fans in the Stadium because of unsporting behavior.
Hamza Khabba, Jamal Harkass and Mohamed Zrida gave the home side a 3-0 half time lead. Yousri Bouzok and Roger Aholou added two second half goals to ensure the Moroccan side picked a big win.
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)
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.
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.
Sudan Premier League reigning champions Al Hilal are the first team to book a quarter final slot in the on-going 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.
Coach Folrent Ibenge’s team battled to to a 1-1 draw against MC Alger in a Group A match played on Sunday at the Cheikha Ould Boïdiya Stadium in Nouakchott, Mauritania.
Sofiane Bayazid gave the Algerian side an early 5th minute lead, but the Al Hilal fought back strongly to level matters through Jean Claued Girumugisha. The Burundian International dribbled past two defenders and unleashed a hard shot that the MC Alger goalkeeper failed to stop.
The draw saw Al Hilal kept top of the table with 10 points and qualify for the knock out stage with two more matches to spare.
“We are very happy that we managed to keep pushing despite conceding an early goal. The players have worked hard to get the draw and qualify for the next stage,” said Ibenge.
Al Hilal who are playing all their matches away from home because of the political unrest in Sudan have won three group matches and drawn once.
The Sudan side will next host Tanzania’s Young Africans SC on January 12th, 2025, before they play the last match against TP Mazembe six days later in Lubumbashi.
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