African Champions League talking points

The African Champions League group phase reached the halfway point at the weekend, after matches on both Saturday and Sunday, with all but two clubs now having played half of their six group fixtures.

Full House

No Sudanese club has ever won the top club prize in African football but Al Hilal are emerging the early favourites as they won away from home again to keep up their 100 per cent start to Group A. Saturday night’s single goal victory away at Mouloudia Alger came with a late second half strike from Guessouma Fofana, their Mauritanian import. Florent Ibenge’s side have nine points at the halfway stage of the group campaign and are on the cusp of securing their quarterfinal place. Their form is made even more astounding by the fact that the civil war in Sudan means the entire club is living in exile in Mauritania.

NEW COACH

Miguel Cardoso was handed a tough start to his new job at the helm of Mamelodi Sundowns, and the Portuguese-born coach had only a handful of days to prepare, for the visit of Raja Casablanca on Sunday. His initial approach looked cagey and without the usual expansive approach in a goalless first half at Loftus Versfeld, but Cardoso seemed to change ideas at the break and Sundowns looked much more attacking thereafter. Iqraam Rayners scored for a second successive Champions League game to ensure the 1-0 victory that saw Sundowns move up to five points alongside Royal Armed Forces from Morocco at the top of Group B.

TAKING CHANCES

Orland Pirates had a myriad of chances against a shaky Stade Abidjan defence but learnt a harsh lesson away when they were held to a 1-1 draw at the Stade Felix Houphouet Boigny on Saturday. Pirates were ahead at halftime, courtesy of an Evidence Makgopa penalty, but it really could have been three or four, such was their dominance despite the humidity. Bucs were guilty of not being clinical enough as they made numerous box entries. It seemed almost inevitable that they would pay for their wastefulness and so it was as Ousmane Meite headed home a second half equaliser to hand the Ivorian rookies their first points of the Group C campaign.

HOLDERS AWAY ON OTHER DUTIES

Defending champions Al Ahly were supposed to host Chabab Belouizdad of Algeria in the other Group C clash this weekend but that fixture will be hosted in Cairo this coming Sunday, December 22. Instead Ahly were in Qatar participating in the Inter Continental Cup, a watered-down version of the Club World Cup where they took on Pahuca of Mexico for the right to face Real Madrid in next Wednesday’s final. Ahly were eliminated on penalties but at least now have more time to prepare for the visit of Khanyisa Mayo and his teammates.

LATE DRAMA

Young Africans of Tanzania salvaged their first point of the Group A campaign with a dramatic late equaliser at TP Mazembe in Lubumbashi on Saturday to hand Sead Ramovic some relief after losing the opening two games. The former TS Galaxy coach arrived at Yanga just before the start of the campaign but if he had lost a third successive game might well have been heading for an early exit. Instead, he has former SuperSport United strike Prince Dube to thank for stealing in and scoring to make it 1-1 four minutes into stoppage time at the end of the game.