Al-Hilal of Sudan achieved an important 1-0 victory over hosts MC Alger in the third round of the CAF Champions League group stage.
The match's only goal was scored by Guessouma Fofana in the 76th minute.
After the game, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman commented, saying:
"Congratulations to Al-Hilal fans. These are three important points. It wasn’t an easy match; it was played in cold weather and under tough circumstances. MC Alger controlled the game; they’re not an easy team to face. Thankfully, we managed to secure the three points in the end and hopefully, they will help us qualify for the next stage."
When asked about Al-Hilal's exceptional form in this season's CAF Champions League, Abdelrahman stated:
"The secret lies in the fact that no one expected us to win but we did. We've been preparing and planning for a while, putting in a lot of effort. The players worked hard and I tell them, 'Congratulations! You’ve been warriors.' Hopefully, we’ll continue this way and qualify for the next stage."
Regarding the next game, he added:
"We will host MC Alger with our brothers in Mauritania. It will be an exciting match that the fans will enjoy and we aim to qualify."
Assistant coach Khaled Bakhit’s insights
Al-Hilal’s assistant coach, Khaled Bakhit, commented on the victory, saying:
"It was a tough game. MC Alger showed their strength and put us under high pressure. However, big games are always decided by small details. For us, the key was to maintain a clean sheet for as long as possible, which forced MC Alger to rush and push forward to score. We exploited this through counterattacks, and thankfully, one of our attempts succeeded, resulting in the goal."
He added:
"We now have nine points and are at the top of the group. We promise our fans that we’ll continue this journey."
When asked about Al-Hilal’s impressive offensive performance, Bakhit replied:
"If you look at the stats, they speak for themselves. Al-Hilal has nine points, the strongest attack, and defensively, we’ve conceded only one goal away from home after playing two away matches. All these achievements are a testament to the excellent work of our coach, Florent Ibengé, who managed the game brilliantly and proved his value in big matches. We promise to keep winning and dedicate these victories to our fans in Sudan."
Group A standings
Games Played | Points | |
| 3 | 9 |
| 3 | 4 |
| 3 | 2 |
| 3 | 1 |
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