- They came from behind to beat Cotonsport 2-1
- This was their second victory of the group stages
- Fellow Sudanese side AL Merrikh also won
Glody Makabi Lilepo scored twice in the second half as Sudanese side Al Hilal turned the tables on Cameroon’s Cotonsport in Garoua, coming from a goal down to win 2-1 in the CAF Champions League.
This completed a double delightful day for Sudanese clubs in the Champions League, with Al Merreikh also having picked a major victory, beating CR Belouizdad 1-0 earlier in another group match.
The victory, Hilal’s second consecutive in Group B, moved them to second place on six points, same as leaders Mamelodi Sundowns who play Egypt’s Al Ahly on Saturday.
Cotonsport meanwhile remain winless and bottom of the table after back to back losses at home.
The two sides were off to a cautious start, but Hilal were the first to knock on the door with David Sandan’s shot in the eighth minute coming off the woodwork.
Pushed on by the home crowd, Cotonsport pushed in to get a goal and put their campaign back on track.
Their efforts finally bore fruit two minutes to the break, Patient Gouegoue Wassou shooting them into the lead.
Hilal push for equalizer
But, Hilal came back in the second half with a will to push through for an equalizer and a possible winner and they did get that seven minutes after the restart through Lilepo.
Five minutes later, he completed a brace with the second with a powerful shot from the edge of the area.
Hilal thought they had their third in the 63rd minute, but Mohamed Abdel Rahman’s goal was flagged down for offside.
Cotonsport put in the effort to try get back into contention, but Hilal defended with heart.
They will however have a chance to make amends next weekend when they travel to Omdurman when the two sides clash again.
Elsewhere, Defending champions Wydad Athletic Club held their nerve to edge out Angola’s Petro de Luanda by a solitary goal in Casablanca to notch their first victory in the group stages.
Wydad had started their campaign with defeat away to Algeria’s JS Kabilye, but skipper Yahya Jabrane’s 34th minute penalty was the difference at the Mohamed V Stadium in Casablanca.
The result sends them to third in Group A with three points while hitherto unbeaten Petro remain second on four points from a win and a draw.
Jabrane scores well taken penalty
Jabrane scored with a well taken penalty drilled straight through the middle after Pedro Francisco brought down Mohamed Ounajem inside the area.
Before that, both sides had chances, with Tiago Azulao twice coming close for Petr with shots which drilled wide.
For Wydad, Attiyat Allah came close with a shot dragged wide from the edge of the area.
In the second half, Petro piled down pressure on Wydad, especially trying to use set pieces but the home side held on to defend well.
Skipper Azulao had a golden chance minutes to the end when a cutback from the left landed on his path from good shooting range, but he sent the effort over the bar.
On the other end, Wydad made offensive changes to try and keep the score within good distance, but none of the two sides could notch a goal.
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