Far from home, Sudanese club Hilal reach CAF Champions League quarters

JOHANNESBURG - Homeless Sudanese club Al Hilal became the first qualifiers for the CAF Champions League quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw with Algerian outfit Mouloudia Alger on Sunday.

Forced to relocate to Mauritania because of the Sudanese civil war, Hilal recovered from falling behind after five minutes to level 12 minutes from time and seal a top-two Group A finish.

Soufiane Bayazid scored for Mouloudia, who suffered a surprise home defeat by Hilal last month, when he connected with cross to the far post.

Burundian Jean-Claude Girumugisha salvaged a point for the table toppers when he cut inside, beat two defenders and unleashed a fierce shot past goalkeeper Abdelatif Ramdane.

Hilal have 10 points, Mouloudia five, Young Africans of Tanzania four and five-time African champions TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo two with two matchdays remaining.

Who accompanies the Sudanese club to the knockout stage will be decided next weekend -- it will be Mouloudia if they win at home to Mazembe and Young Africans lose away to Hilal.

Egyptian club Pyramids scored two late goals to snatch a dramatic 2-1 win over 2023-204 Champions League runners-up Esperance from Tunisia in Cairo.

Trailing to a second-half goal from Youcef Belaili -- his chart-topping seventh of the campaign -- the hosts levelled through Aftmost Fahy and Ibrahim Adel grabbed an added-time winner.

The clubs share first place in Group D with seven points each, two more than Sarada Esperance of Angola, and both north African teams are likely to make the knockout stage.