Sudanese club Al Hilal overcame South African visitors Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1 on Friday in the CAF Champions League, staging the match in Rwanda due to the ongoing civil war in Sudan.
Hilal’s veteran captain Mohamed Abdelrahman opened the scoring in stoppage time of the first half, before Burundian Jean Claude Girumugisha doubled the lead early in the second half at the 45,000-capacity Amahoro Stadium in Kigali. Brazilian substitute Arthur Sales pulled one back for Sundowns in the 61st minute, but it was not enough to prevent the hosts from securing all three points.
The victory moves Hilal to the top of Group C with eight points, three ahead of Sundowns. DR Congo’s Saint-Eloi Lupopo sit third with four points, while Algeria’s Mouloudia d’Alger have one. Lupopo and Mouloudia meet in Algiers on Sunday. The top two teams in th
e six-round group stage advance to the Champions League quarter-finals.
Hilal had drawn 2-2 with Sundowns in Pretoria last weekend, and Abdelrahman’s goal came after Sundowns goalkeeper Denis Onyango fouled Abdelrazig Omer in added time of the first half. Girumugisha’s second was a low strike from outside the box that flew past Onyango early in the second half. Sales’ goal marked his third in African competitions this season.
Both sides had opportunities in the closing stages, with Sundowns pressing hard as Hilal tired.
Since civil war erupted in Sudan three years ago between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Al Hilal have been forced to play Champions League matches in various countries. Last season, they competed in Mauritania, where they won the national championship, before returning to a military-controlled area of Sudan to be crowned national champions. This year, they are competing in the Rwandan championship, where they lead the table with a match in hand over second-placed Police FC.
Romanian coach Laurentiu Reghecampf leads Hilal, fielding a squad in which nine of the 15 players used against Sundowns come from other African nations.
