Al Merrikh & Raja register wins as AmaZulu cause upset

Ibrahima Doumbouya of Horoya challenges Zakaria El Wardi of Raja Casablanca during the CAF Champions League 2021/22 football match between Raja Casablanca and Horoya held at the Mohamed V Stadium in Casablanca, Morocco on 25 February 2022 ©Imad Attalai/BackpagePix

by Staff Reporter

Friday Feb 25, 2022. 23:11

Al Merrikh and Raja Casablanca registered victories in their CAF Champions League group stage matches on Friday.

Elsamani Saadeldin was the hero as Al Merrikh defeated their Sudanese rivals Al Hilal Omdurman 2-1 in a Group A game that was played at the Al Ahly WE Al Salam Stadium in Cairo Egypt.

The 30-year-old defender’s first-half brace propelled Al Merrikh to a victory, while Mohamed Abdelrahman netted what proved to be Al Hilal’s consolation goal.

The win saw Merrikh climb to the top of Group A standings and Al Hilal remained fourth on the table with one point with three games left.

A second-half goal from Mohsine Moutouali earned Raja a 1-0 win over Guinean champions Horoya AC in a Group B game which was played at the Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca.

The win saw the Moroccan giants restore their three-point lead at the top of the group standings, while Horoya remained fourth on the table without a single point.

Lastly, AmaZulu secured a 1-0 win over Algerian giants ES Setif in another Group B match which took place at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

Luvuyo Memela’s first-half goal inspired the South African side to their second consecutive victory in the competition having defeated Horoya 1-0 at home last week.

As a result, AmaZulu moved up to second place on the group standings – leapfrogging Setif, who recorded their second successive defeat in the competition.