Homeless Hilal beat Sundowns in CAF Champions League

Homeless Hilal beat Sundowns in CAF Champions League

Sudanese club Al Hilal, forced to play in Rwanda because of a civil war, beat South African visitors Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1 on Friday in the CAF Champions League.

Homeless Hilal beat Sundowns in CAF Champions League

Veteran captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and Burundian Jean Claude Girumugisha scored for Hilal either side of half-time at the 45,000-capacity Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.

Brazilian Arthur Sales came off the bench for 2016 African champions Sundowns and reduced arrears after 61 minutes of the matchday four clash.

Hilal, twice runners-up before the competition was renamed and groups were introduced in 1997, top Group C with eight points, three more than Sundowns.

Saint-Eloi Lupopo from the Democratic Republic of Congo have four points and Mouloudia Alger of Algeria one. They meet in Algiers on Sunday.

Group winners and runners-up after a six-round mini-league phase qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Hilal, who drew 2-2 with Sundowns in Pretoria last weekend, went ahead in the third minute of added time at the end of the first half.

Sundowns goalkeeper Denis Onyango fouled Abdelrazig Omer and Abdelrahman stroked the ball into the right corner as the 40-year-old Ugandan shot-stopper dived in the opposite direction.

Hilal increased their lead four minutes into the second half when Girumugisha unleashed a low shot from outside the area that flew into the corner of the net.

Sales scored his third goal in Africa this season with a rising close-range shot that give Burkina Faso-born goalkeeper Farid Ouedraogo no chance.

Both teams squandered scoring chances in the closing stages with Sundowns doing more attacking ss Hilal tired.

Since civil war erupted in Sudan three years ago between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Hilal have been forced to stage Champions League games in various countries.

Last season they competed as guests in the Mauritanian championship and won it. They then returned to a military-controlled area of Sudan and were crowned national champions.

This year they accepted an invitation to play in the Rwandan championship. They lie first almost halfway through the season, one point ahead of Police with two matches in hand.

Romanian Laurentiu Reghecampf coaches Hilal. Of the 15 players he used against Sundowns, nine come from other African countries.

str-dl/dmc

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.