Author: FSL News

* Established in 2014 © 2021 FSL MediaFootball Sierra Leone - all you need to know about the game in Sierra Leone and Sierra Leonean footballers at home and abroad.Founded by Alie Ahmed Bittar in 2014, Bittar is one of the leading journalists from Sierra Leone with over 25 years covering football.The award-winning website also covers football from across the continent.We aim to continue pursuing up-to-date reports for our readers in Sierra Leone and across the globe.FSL Media is always informative, accurate and consistent. Make Football Sierra Leone Your daily news feed.Follow our social media pages on Twitter @football_sierra, Instagram, Linkedin and Facebook. Permission to use our content is granted subject to crediting our website as the source.Contact: Managing Editor Alie Ahmed Bittar - Email: bittar@footballsierraleone.com - Tel: +44 (0) 7861141119
Heavyweight CAF Champions League quarter-final draw confirmed
by FSL News

Heavyweight CAF Champions League quarter-final draw confirmed

Al Ahly, the 12-time champions from Egypt, will face Espérance Sportive de Tunis from Tunisia in a major match in the Quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2025/26. The draw for the last eight teams took place in Cairo on Tuesday.

The teams now know their paths to the final. The Quarter-finals and Semi-finals draw created some exciting matchups. Al Ahly will play the first leg in Tunisia and then host the return match in Cairo.

The Quarter-finals will take place from March 13 to 15 for the first legs and from March 20 to 22 for the second legs.

The Semi-finals draw has also been completed. The winner of the match between Espérance and Al Ahly will host the winner of Mamelodi Sundowns and Stade Malien in the first leg. In the other Semi-final, the winner of AS FAR and Pyramids FC will host the winner of RS Berkane and Al Hilal.

The Semi-finals will be held from April 10 to 12 for the first legs and April 17 to 19 for the second legs. The team that wins the first Semi-final will play at home for the first leg of the Final on May 15. The second leg of the Final will take place on May 24.

Quarter-Final Draw

QF1: RS Berkane (Morocco) vs Al Hilal (Sudan)  

QF2: Espérance ST (Tunisia) vs Al Ahly (Egypt)  

QF3: Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) vs Stade Malien (Mali)  

QF4: AS FAR (Morocco) vs Pyramids FC (Egypt)  

Semi-Final Draw  

SF1: Espérance ST/Al Ahly vs Mamelodi Sundowns/Stade Malien  

SF2: AS FAR/Pyramids FC vs RS Berkane/Al Hilal  
Esperance beat Atletico to secure Champions League quarter-final spot
by FSL News

Esperance beat Atletico to secure Champions League quarter-final spot

Esperance secured their place in the quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League with a commanding 2-0 victory over Petro Atletico.

Also, Stade Malien confirmed top spot in Group D after edging Simba SC 1-0 in the final round of matches on Saturday. The Tunisian giants delivered under pressure at the Rades Stadium, producing a composed second-half display to eliminate the Angolan side and finish second in the group.

After a cautious first half marked by disciplined defending and limited clear chances, the breakthrough arrived immediately after the restart.

Aboubacar Diakité struck in the 46th minute, capitalising on sustained pressure to give Esperance the lead and swing momentum firmly in their favour.

As Petro committed numbers forward in search of an equaliser, gaps began to appear at the back. Jacques Diarra exploited one such opening in the 81st minute, finishing confidently to double Esperance’s advantage and extinguish any lingering doubts about qualification.

The result lifts Esperance to nine points, securing second place behind Stade Malien, who concluded the group stage with 11 points.

Stade Malien 1-0 Simba

In Bamako, Stade Malien underlined their consistency with a narrow 1-0 win over Tanzania’s Simba SC.

Anicet Wara scored as early as the fourth minute, handing the hosts a perfect start and allowing them to control proceedings.

Simba, already facing a difficult task, struggled to recover from the early setback.

The final standings see Stade Malien top with 11 points, Esperance second with nine, Petro Atletico third on six, and Simba bottom with five.

For Esperance and Stade Malien, attention now turns to the quarter-final draw. 

Zamalek edge Al Masry to maintain top spot in Confederation Cup
by FSL News

Zamalek edge Al Masry to maintain top spot in Confederation Cup

In a close Sunday evening match, Zamalek delivered a determined away showing to beat Al Masry 2–1 to maintained their grip at the top of Group D in the CAF Confederation Cup.

The guests assumed the lead in the 22nd minute when Hossam Abdelmaguid struck his shot low into the corner from the penalty spot following a foul in the box.

Respond positively, Al Masry was rewarded in the 32nd minute as Salah Mohsen calmly converted a penalty of his own to even things following a handball decision.

Both teams sought a decisive goal in the second half, with opportunities at either end and several interruptions breaking the flow of the game.

Eventually finding the breakthrough in the 75th minute, Zamalek reacted quickest to a corner and fired a left-footed shot into the bottom corner from close range. Oday Dabbagh did so.

Late on, Al Masry searched for an equaliser, but Zamalek stood strong across seven minutes of additional time to grab all three points away from home.

Al Masry 1–2 Zamalek
Zambia's Power Dynamos beat Rovers United in Group A CAF CL tie
by FSL News

Zambia’s Power Dynamos beat Rovers United in Group A CAF CL tie

In the Group A other game, Power Dynamos claimed their first victory of the CAF Champions League group stage with a hard-fought 1-0 win away to Rivers United, condemning the Nigerian side to another frustrating night.

The decisive moment came five minutes after the restart when Kundwani Chiboni struck to secure all three points for the Zambian champions. The midfielder timed his run perfectly to meet a well-weighted pass from Prince Mumba before calmly slotting the ball into the net to silence the home crowd.

Rivers United sought their first win but struggled to turn possession into clear chances in the first half, while Power Dynamos maintained a disciplined defence.

After going behind, Rivers pushed for an equaliser in the second half, launching several attacks but failing to break through the strong Dynamos ‘ defence and composed goalkeeping.

Despite late efforts, Rivers managed few clear opportunities, and Power Dynamos secured a vital away win, rising to four points in Group A.

Rivers remain bottom with one point from four matches, putting their hopes of progression in jeopardy.

Rivers United 0–1 Power Dynamos
Ivory Coast set friendly date with Scotland at Everton's stadium
by FSL News

Ivory Coast set friendly date with Scotland at Everton’s stadium

Scotland's national football team, led by Steve Clarke, will play against the Ivory Coast for the first time on 31 March.

The match will take place at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium as part of their preparations for the World Cup. It will start at 19:30 BST, just three days after Scotland hosts Japan at Hampden.

Côte d’Ivoire, three-time Africa Cup of Nations winners, return to the World Cup for the first time in 12 years after an impressive unbeaten qualifying campaign. Scotland dramatically secured their place, ending a 28-year wait for a World Cup finals appearance with a decisive victory over Denmark.

Scotland earned their spot at the World Cup this summer by topping their qualifying group. They will also face Curacao in Glasgow on 30 May.

Scotland’s first World Cup match is against Haiti in Boston on 14 June, followed by games against Morocco and Brazil.

The Ivory Coast, which reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, is also competing in this year’s World Cup. They will play against Ecuador, Germany, and Curacao.

Clarke said, “We wanted to face African opposition before we play Morocco in the summer, and I’m sure Cote d’Ivoire will give us a real stern test. It will also be good to play at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool. The supporters will enjoy visiting the new stadium.”