AFCON 2025
The CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final first legs saw intense battles across the continent, with teams fighting for an early advantage.
Al Masry capitalized on home support to assert their dominance, while RS Berkane executed a disciplined game plan to claim an important away victory.
Stellenbosch and Zamalek struggled to break each other down in a tight encounter, while local rivals Constantine and USM Alger played out a fiercely contested draw.
With the return legs approaching, the competition remains wide open.
Here’s a summary of how the games went down across different venues:
Al Masry 2–0 Simba
Al Masry claimed a crucial 2-0 home win over Simba in the first leg of their CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final clash in Suez.
Abderrahim Deghmoum opened the scoring in the 16th minute, settling the hosts after a frantic start.
Despite Simba’s attacking intent, Al Masry’s defense held firm. The second half saw both sides pushing for goals, but clear chances were scarce.
Nigerian forward John Ebuka sealed the victory in the 89th minute, giving the Egyptians a strong advantage ahead of the return leg.
Stellenbosch 0–0 Zamalek
Stellenbosch and Zamalek played out a goalless draw in the first leg of their TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final at DHL Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday.
Despite a lively atmosphere and flashes of attacking intent from both sides, neither team could find the breakthrough in a tightly contested encounter.
ASEC Mimosas 0–1 RS Berkane
A late strike by Imad Riahi was enough for former champions, RS Berkane to secure victory on the road in their first leg quarter-final clash of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup against Ivorian giants, Asec Mimosas in Abidjan.
The former champions’ plan of containing the Ivorians proved to work wonders, with frustrations building up for the hosts, as the match went into the break tied at 0-0.
The deadlock eventually broke in the 75th minute, with Berkane being rewarded for their disciplined approach, as Imad Riahi secured the much-needed victory for the former champions to take home a confidence boosting 1-0 victory ahead of the return leg in Berkane next week.
Constantine 1–1 USM Alger
A fierce encounter between local rivals ended in a one-all draw. Mounder Temine had opened the scoring for the hosts in the 29th minute to give them the advantage going into the break.
Mehdi Merghem missed an opportunity to draw the visitors level after proceedings resumed after failing to convert his penalty in the 54th minute. His blushes were however spared by Kevin Mondeko Zatu who eventually scored the equalizer in the 73rd minute.
Both sides were unable to find a winner as it ended in a draw going into the second leg.
