Category: African News

Our African football page passionately on all continental topics of all National and International football news, Identifying football heroes on our continent.

Dreams hopeful to reach first Continental final after draw in Cairo

Dreams hopeful to reach first Continental final after draw in Cairo

On April 28th, Dreams FC will host Zamalek in Kumasi for the second-leg semi-final of the CAF Confederation Cup, hoping to clinch their first-ever spot in the tournament’s semi-finals after a spirited performance against the Egyptian giants in Cairo.

The Dreams football team, who are participating in the competition for the first time, will try to defeat the Egyptian team in the next match, which will be held at the Baba Yara Stadium.

Karim Zito’s team has not lost any matches at home since the beginning of the competition.

Zamalek dominated the game in Cairo but failed to score due to Dreams’ strong defence. The White Knights had several chances to score, but their attacks lacked precision in the final third.

At the beginning of the match, Zamalek put pressure on Dreams with Shikabala, Mostafa Shalaby and Ahmed Hamdi all coming close to scoring before the midway point of the first half.

Despite their continued efforts, Dreams goalkeeper Solomon Agbasi was able to keep out shots from Shikabala and Travis Mutyaba.

Zamalek struggled to create clear-cut opportunities as they failed to convert their chances into goals, resulting in a goalless draw against the visitors.

Brazilian Sasse scores Esperance's winner against Mamelodi Sundowns

Brazilian Sasse scores Esperance’s winner against Sundowns

Esperance of Tunisia claimed a 1-0 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa in the first leg of their CAF Champions League semi-final match on Saturday. 

In the 41st minute, Yan Sasse, 26, from Brazil scored the only goal of the game. He converted a rebound after Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams parried his first attempt. Sasse’s compatriot, Rodrigo Rodrigues, played a significant role in the goal by providing an excellent through ball to Sasse.

The goal came soon after Sundowns had a goal ruled offside, Rodrigues had hit the woodwork, and teammate Houssem Tka had another shot cleared off the goalline. 

Sasse could have scored again in the second half, but a last-ditch tackle by Grant Kekana prevented him from doing so. 

Visiting Sundowns failed to equalize despite Mothobi Mvala’s shot, which was saved by Esperance’s goalkeeper. 

Esperance, bidding for their fifth Champions League title, held on to a narrow lead until the return leg.

Elsewhere, title-holders Al Ahly moved closer to their seventh final appearance in eight seasons by holding TP Mazembe to a goalless draw.

Ahly and Mazembe drew 0-0 in their match. Despite injuries to key players, Ahly achieved a satisfactory result. 

Mazembe drew their home quarter-final match but won the return match 2-1. Ahly will host Mazembe in Cairo, and Sundowns will face Esperance on Friday.

USM Alger set for RS Berkane CAF Confed first-leg cracker

USM Alger set for RS Berkane CAF Confed first-leg cracker

On Sunday, April 21, 2024, USM Alger and RS Berkane will compete against each other in the semi-final of the CAF Confederation Cup. The first-leg match will be held at the Stade du 5 Juillet in Algiers, which is the capital and largest city of Algeria.

Referee Abdel Aziz Mohamed Bouh from Mauritania will officiate the first leg match between Alger and Berkane.

Alger made it to this tournament stage by defeating Rivers United, the Nigerian club, 2-1 on aggregate in the quarterfinals. Having won the Confederation Cup last season, the Algerian team will be looking to defend their title successfully by winning it again this season.

On their part, Berkane qualified for the semi-finals by defeating Abu Salim of Libya 3-2 on aggregate in the quarterfinals. 

Having won the trophy in 2020 and 2022, the Moroccan side hopes to win it again this season and claim a joint record of three titles.

Alger needs goals from Abdoulaye Kanou. Berkane’s captain, Issoufou Dayo, could be key.

The first leg semi-finals of the 2023/24 CAF Champions League campaign will take place on Saturday, April 20th.

Fascinating first-leg CAF Champions League Semis this weekend

The first leg semi-finals of the 2023/24 CAF Champions League campaign will take place on Saturday, April 20th.

The remaining four African football clubs, Al Ahly (Egypt), TP Mazembe (DR Congo), Espérance Sportive Tunis (Tunisia) and Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) are all vying for the highly-coveted African club football title.

The first leg semi-finals are scheduled for 20th April, while the return leg will be played on 25th and 26th April 2024.

TP Mazembe, a former FIFA Club World Cup finalist from the Democratic Republic of Congo, hasn’t made it to the finals of the CAF Champions League in the last decade. 

This weekend, they will face a challenging match against the current champions, Al Ahly from Egypt, in Lubumbashi.

Four clubs have won 21 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League titles. Al Ahly leads with 11 titles, followed by Mazembe with 5, ES Tunis with 4, and Mamelodi Sundowns with 1. 

ES Tunis seeks their 5th title in Tunis after winning in 2019. They’ll play Mamelodi Sundowns, who won in 2016 and recently triumphed in the African Football League. 

All four clubs have proven their championship mettle and have an equal chance of winning this season.

 

All four football clubs will be competing for a spot in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League Final.

The first leg of the final is scheduled for Saturday, May 18th, 2024, with the second leg taking place on Saturday, May 25th, 2024.

Jasmine Hamid ready for BK Häcken's adventure in Sweden

Jasmine Hamid ready for BK Häcken’s adventure in Sweden 

BK Häcken has confirmed the signing of Jasmine Hamid, a 23-year-old outfielder from Towson University in the USA. 

Yesterday, the offensive female star was cleared to pen her first professional contract on the deadline day.

Hamid is a talented player who is known for her one-on-one skills, courage on the field, and excellent finishing abilities. 

She is excited to join the team and start working towards winning matches and scoring goals. 

Christian Lundström, the team’s manager, looks forward to seeing what Hamid can bring to the team. 

Hamid was cleared to play on deadline day and has been welcomed warmly by the rest of the team., says Christian Lundström.

“All the players and managers have very well received me and I am very keen to start the work, play and win matches and score a lot of goals,” she told the clubs’ website.

Hamid is the younger sister of Bill Hamid. She previously played on the varsity team of Bishop Ireton for four years and received two WCAC Player of the Week awards.

In 2022, she started and played in 16 games, despite battling an injury late in the season.

She scored six goals and provided six assists, making a total of 18 points. Three of her six goals came as game-winners.