Category: Football Africa

"St Éloi Lupopo overcomes MC Alger with a stoppage-time penalty
by FSL News

St Éloi Lupopo overcomes MC Alger with a stoppage-time penalty

St Éloi Lupopo rejuvenated their TotalEnergies CAF Champions League campaign with a thrilling 1–0 victory over MC Alger on Sunday, netting the decisive goal deep into stoppage time in Lubumbashi.

The match’s turning point came in the fifth minute of added time when substitute Enock Molia was fouled in the box by defender Ghezala. Michael Kimputu converted the penalty, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way and igniting celebrations among the home fans.

Both teams struggled to create clear chances throughout the match. While Lupopo had a slight edge in possession, MC Alger maintained a solid defensive setup, appearing set to earn a draw.

With this win, Lupopo moves to four points from three matches, sitting third in Group C, while MC Alger remains at the bottom with one point, complicating their path to qualification.

Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Hilal Omdurman lead the group with five points each, indicating a competitive race for the quarter-finals.

Stade Malien beat Petro de Luanda in Bamako to go top of Group D
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Stade Malien beat Petro de Luanda in Bamako to go top of Group D

Stade Malien climbed to the top of Group D in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League with a solid 2–0 win over Petro de Luanda in Bamako on Sunday.

This victory allowed them to take the lead at the halfway point of the tournament.

In the second half, Taddeus Nkeng and captain Mamadou Traoré scored to settle the match, bringing Stade Malien to seven points from three games and creating a two-point lead over the second-place team.

In the first half, both teams played cautiously. Stade Malien was more aggressive, trying to create chances while Petro de Luanda defended deep.

Daouda Coulibaly had the best chance halfway through the first half, but Petro’s goalkeeper, Nuno Marques, quickly blocked the shot to keep the game scoreless.

The match shifted five minutes into the second half when Marques poorly kicked the ball, allowing Traoré to pass to Nkeng, who scored from distance, putting Stade Malien ahead.

Things worsened for Petro as left-back Eddie Afonso slipped while passing from the back, enabling Ousmane “Kalaba” Coulibaly to create an opportunity. Traoré scored again off his cross, making it 2–0.

Petro’s substitute Jó Paciência later missed a big chance in the 75th minute, but Stade Malien maintained their lead to secure the win. This win puts Stade Malien in a strong position in Group D, while Petro de Luanda falls to third place with four points.

In another match in the group, Espérance de Tunis narrowly beat Simba SC 1–0, keeping the qualification race tight before the next games.

Espérance de Tunis edge Simba SC in Group D CAF CL tie
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Espérance de Tunis edge Simba SC in Group D CAF CL tie

Espérance Sportive de Tunis secured a vital 1-0 victory over Simba SC on Saturday at the Hammadi Agrebi Stadium in Radès, during Matchday 3 of Group D in the CAF Champions League group stage.

The match saw Jacques Diarra net the only goal in the 21st minute, earning the “Blood and Gold” three crucial points and putting them at the top of Group D with a total of 5 points.

This marked Espérance’s first win in the group stage, following two earlier draws. Meanwhile, Simba SC continues to struggle, remaining winless and sitting at the bottom of the group with zero points.

The Tunisians dominated play for much of the match and could have extended their lead, but fell short due to a lack of precision in their finishing and some hurried choices in the final moments. Despite a few attempts, Simba SC was unable to penetrate Espérance’s well-organized defense.

Points shared between JS Kabyile and AS FAR in Inter Club tie
by Football Sierra Leone

Points shared between JS Kabyile and AS FAR in Inter Club tie

JS Kabylie and AS FAR finished their match with no goals on Saturday evening at the Martyr Hussein Aït Ahmed Stadium in Tizi Ouzou.

It was a tough match in Group B of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League. Aymen Mahious and Riyad Bouddebouz tried to put pressure on the Moroccan defense, but AS FAR stayed strong and organized.

AS FAR’s best chance came from Zakaria Hadraf, who faced goalkeeper Gaïa Merbah one-on-one in the 27th minute. However, Merbah made a crucial save.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with both teams looking for chances but unable to score.

In the 55th minute, Bouddebouz took a powerful shot, but AS FAR’s goalkeeper El Khayati made another good save. The match ended without a winner. Both teams now face pressure to improve in their upcoming games to keep their chances of qualifying alive.

Mamelodi Sundowns share spoils with Al-Hilal in Champions League thriller
by FSL News

Mamelodi Sundowns share spoils with Al-Hilal in Champions League thriller

Mamelodi Sundowns and Sudan’s Al-Hilal Omdurman ended their match in a 2-2 draw in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League on Friday night.

This result kept both teams in the running for qualification. Sundowns started strong but fell behind in the 15th minute when Omer Abdelrazig scored from close range after getting free at the near post.

The South Africans responded quickly, with Arthur Sales scoring just five minutes later, finishing calmly after Nuno Santos set up the play.

The game then turned tactical, with Sundowns holding more possession but struggling to find space against a solid Al-Hilal defence. Al-Hilal had to make an early substitution when Ousmane Diouf left the game due to injury.

Sundowns took the lead midway through the second half with a well-executed short corner. Teboho Mokoena hit a powerful shot into the near corner from outside the box.

However, just six minutes later, Abdelrazig scored again, converting a low cross to equalise.

Al-Hilal went down to ten men late in the game when Emmanuel Flommo received a red card. Despite this, Sundowns could not score again, and both teams ended up with one point.