CAF Champions League
Young Africans SC ready for Al Hilal challenge in CAF Champions League
Tanzania Premier League reigning champions Young Africans SC will host Sudan’s Al Hilal in the first Group A match of the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League on Tuesday.
Fresh from hiring a new coach Sead Ramovic a few days, Young Africans will hope to make a good start in the group stage and make use of home advantage at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es salaam.
The German coach who will lead Young Africans SC in his first outing says he is happy to come to a club with the best fans in Africa. “I believe that the fans will come to the field in large numbers to welcome me and support the team so that we can get good results,” said Ramovic.
Young Africans who qualified for the group stage after seeing off Vital’O (Burundi) and Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (Ethiopia) in the earlier stages will hope that their key goal poachers Stephane Aziz Ki, Clement Mzizie, Prince Dube and Clatous Chama find their scoring touch. The four players have already netted 13 goals between them in the earlier two rounds.
Bakari Mwamnyeto, the Young Africans SC has made it clear they are aware it will be a very difficult match. “We are well prepared and we shall also count on the fans,” added the captain.
The Sudan giants under the guidance of experienced coach Florent Ibenge have also promised to come out in search of a good start.
“We are going to play against a big opponent who now have a new coach and somethings could have changed. We must adapt well and be at our best to attack and also be able to defend well,” said Ibenge.
Al Hilal who have spent the whole year playing away from home because of the political unrest back in Sudan will look to some of their stars Walieidin Khder Safour and captain Mohamed Abdeirahman Yousif who has already netted three goals in the earlier rounds.
To reach the group stage Ibenge’s team ejected Al Ahly Bengahazi (Libya) and San Pedro (Ivory Coast). The two teams will this time round be all out and try to improve on their performances last season where Young Africans SC lost out to Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) at the quarter-final stage, while Al Hilal failed to go past the group stage.
The other teams in Group A include former African champions TP Mazembe (DR Congo) and Algeria’s MC Alger.
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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