Category: Football Africa

Nigeria's Alex Iwobi nets as Fulham defeat Sunderland
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Nigeria’s Alex Iwobi nets as Fulham defeat Sunderland

Nigerian International Alex Iwobi played a pivotal role as his London side defeated Sunderland in their Premier League encounter on Sunday.

Fulham secured a 3-1 victory over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, with Raúl Jiménez scoring two goals, including a penalty, and Alex Iwobi sealing the win.

After a goalless first half, Fulham took control when Raúl scored the opener from a corner. A penalty awarded to Sunderland allowed them to pull one back, but Iwobi’s counterattack goal ensured Fulham’s victory.

Kevin started in place of the injured Samuel Chukwueze, and Marco Silva’s team managed the game well in the final stages.

Alex Iwobi capped off the victory, snapping a three-game losing run in the Premier League for Marco Silva’s team at the Stadium of Light.

SAFC XI: Roefs; Mukiele (Geertruida 11’), Ballard, Alderete, Hume ©; Sadiki, Le Fée, Diarra (Xhaka 70’); Ta Bi (Mundle 37’), Angulo (Mayenda 70’), Brobbey (Isidor 70’)

Subs: Ellborg, O’Nien, Rigg, Talbi

Fulham XI: Leno; Tete (Castagne 88’), Bassey, Andersen, Sessesgnon; Iwobi (Cuneca 88’), Berge; Wilson, Smith-Rowe (Cairney, 88’), Kevin (Bobb 45’); Jimenez (Muniz 65’)

Subs: Lecomte, Reed, King, Diop

Al Masry to face CR Belouizdad in CAF Confederation Cup quarter-finals
by Football Sierra Leone

Al Masry to face CR Belouizdad in CAF Confederation Cup quarter-finals

The quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup 2025/26 feature a Moroccan derby as the draw was held in Cairo on Tuesday.

In the first leg, Olympique de Safi will host Wydad Casablanca. These two teams know each other well, and one will definitely move on to the semi-finals.

Zamalek SC from Egypt will play away against AS Otoho from Congo in their first leg.

Another Egyptian team, Al Masry, will host CR Belouizdad from Algeria. AS Maniema Union from the Democratic Republic of Congo will also play at home against USM Alger, another Algerian team.

The first leg of the quarter-finals takes place from March 13 to 15, and the second leg will be from March 20 to 22.

The draw also set up the semi-finals. The winner of the match between AS Maniema Union and USM Alger will host the winner of Olympique de Safi and Wydad Casablanca in the first semi-final. In the second semi-final, the winner of Al Masry versus CR Belouizdad will host the winner of AS Otoho and Zamalek SC.

The semi-finals are scheduled for April 10 to 12 (first leg) and April 17 to 19 (second leg).

The team that wins in the semi-finals will host the first leg of the Final on May 9, with the second leg on May 16. 

TOTALENERGIES CAF CONFEDERATION CUP 2025/26

Quarter-Final Draw

QF1: Al Masry (Egypt) vs CR Belouizdad (Algeria)

QF2: Olympique de Safi (Morocco) vs Wydad Casablanca (Morocco)

QF3: AS Otoho (Congo) vs Zamalek SC (Egypt)

QF4: AS Maniema Union (DR Congo) vs USM Alger (Algeria)

Semi-Final Draw

SF1: AS Maniema Union/ASM Alger vs OC Safi/Wydad Casablanca

SF2: Al Masry/CR Belouizdad vs AS Otoho/Zamalek SC 
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  
CAF Interclub group stage draw the date and venue confirmed
by Football Sierra Leone

CAF Inter-club Quarter-Final Draw procedures confirmed

Ahead of Tuesday's Draw, the Confederation Africain de Football (CAF) has clarified the methods that would be employed to define the Quarter-finals and Semi-finals of the CAF Champions League 2025/26 and CAF Confederation Cup 2025/26.

CAF will employ a multi-pot arrangement for the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League quarterfinal draw.

The four runners-up from the group stage—RS Berkane, AS FAR (both Morocco), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) and Espérance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia)—are in Pot 1.

Separate pots contain the four group champions: Pyramids FC (Group A), Al Ahly FC, both of Egypt (Group B), Sudan‘s Al Hilal SC (Group C), and Stade Malien (Group D) from Mali.

The draw starts by picking one team from the runners-up pot (Pot 1). Excluding the pot related to the runners-up team’s own group, CAF then picks one ball from each of the other three group-winner buckets to make sure no same group clubs meet in the quarter-finals.

One of those three possible opponents is chosen from an empty pot (Pot 6) and blended to verify the quarter-final match-up. The identical stages are done until all four quarter-finals are arranged. Notably, runners-up will be playing the first leg at home.

One pot for the semi-finals has QF1, QF2, QF3, and QF4. Semi-final 1 features the first two balls drawn facing one another, with the first drawn home for the first leg. Semi-final 2 under the same home-leg rule is formed by the two remaining quarter-final victors.

The TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup draws uare sing the same format.

Olympique Club de Safi (Morocco), AS Maniema Union (DR Congo), AS Otoho (Congo), and Al Masry SC (Egypt) make up Pot 1’s four group runners-up.

Each of the four group victors is assigned their own pot: Pot 2 (winners of Group A) holds USM Alger from Algeria, Pot 3 (winners of Group B) contains Morocco’s Wydad AC, Pot 4 (winners of Group C) contains CR Belouizdad from Algeria, and Pot 5 (winners of Group D) contains Egypt’s Zamalek SC.

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.