Al Hilal defeat Sundowns in Kigali to tighten grip on CAF Champions league group

Sudanese giants Al Hilal continued their strong CAF Champions League campaign with a 2–1 victory over South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns on Friday, despite being forced to play their home fixtures outside Sudan due to the ongoing civil conflict, Sport360NG reports.

Playing at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, Hilal struck on either side of half-time through captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and Burundian midfielder Jean Claude Girumugisha to take control of the Group C encounter.

Abdelrahman opened the scoring deep into first-half stoppage time after Sundowns goalkeeper Denis Onyango brought down Abdelrazig Omer inside the area. The veteran skipper calmly converted the resulting penalty, sending Onyango the wrong way.

Hilal doubled their advantage four minutes after the restart when Girumugisha fired a low effort from outside the box into the corner of the net, putting the Sudanese side firmly in command.

Sundowns responded in the 61st minute through substitute Arthur Sales, whose close-range finish marked his third goal of the competition this season. However, the visitors were unable to find an equaliser despite increased pressure in the latter stages.

The result lifted Hilal to the top of Group C on eight points, three ahead of Sundowns. DR Congo’s Saint-Eloi Lupopo sit third with four points, while Algeria’s Mouloudia Alger have one ahead of their meeting in Algiers on Sunday.

With two rounds remaining in the group phase, the top two teams will advance to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Hilal’s victory followed a 2–2 draw with Sundowns in Pretoria last weekend and underlined their resilience amid challenging circumstances. Ongoing conflict in Sudan has forced the club to host continental matches abroad in recent seasons.

Last term, Hilal competed in the Mauritanian league as guests and went on to win the title before returning to a military-controlled region of Sudan to secure the national championship. This season, they accepted an invitation to participate in the Rwandan league, where they currently sit top of the table, one point clear of Police with two games in hand.

Coached by Romanian Laurentiu Reghecampf, Hilal fielded a largely international squad against Sundowns, with nine of the 15 players used drawn from other African nations.