Al Merreikh of Sudan and Djoliba of Mali could this weekend become the first qualifiers for the 2012 CAF Confederation Cup semi-finals. Merreikh, the only Sudanese club to win a Pan-African club competition, can clinch a last-four spot from Group A if they win at compatriots Al Ahly Shandy and fellow Omdurman club Al Hilal do not lose at home to InterClube of Angola.
The scenario for Group B pacesetters Djoliba is simpler — a win at Wydad Casablanca of Morocco will assure the Bamako outfit of featuring in the knockout stage of the second-tier competition that offers a US$660,000 first prize.
AC Leopards of Congo Brazzaville, the surprise side this season, host 2009 Confederation Cup winners Stade Malien of Mali in the other matchday four fixture with the action spread over three days from today.
Merreikh, winners of the now defunct African Cup Winners Cup in 1989, won 2-0 at home to Ahly two weeks ago in a match marred by post-match stone throwing which hospitalized legendary Egypt goalkeeper Essam Al Hadary.
Ahmed Al Basha claimed his fourth goal to put the match beyond the reach of Ahly, competing in Africa for the first time with the usual Sudanese mix of local and imported talent and coached by Tunisian Mohamed Kouki.
Hilal were held 1-1 in Luanda, Angola, by 2011 Confederation Cup semi-finalists InterClube with Zimbabwe-born striker Edward Sadomba equalizing after Kialunda have nudged the Luanda police team ahead.
However, steamy Omdurman will be less to the liking of the under-performing policemen, who have captured just one point from a possible nine, and any result other than a Hilal victory would be an upset.
Merreikh have seven points, Hilal five, Ahly three and InterClube one halfway through the six-round mini-league phase of a competition dominated by Moroccan clubs recently with FUS Rabat and Moghreb Fes winning the last two editions.
Wydad were runners-up to Esperance of Tunisia in the more challenging CAF Champions League last season and appeared a sound bet to go all the way this year and maintain a record of winning a CAF club competition every 10 years.
However, two draws followed by a stoppage-time loss at Djoliba have left them five points adrift of the leaders and they need maximum points at home to rein in the Malians and boost their own titles chances.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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