CAF CL: Hilal Has Last Laugh Over Neighbors Al-Merrikh

Al-Hilal defeated Al-Merrikh in a crucial derby game in the CAF Champions League on Friday, at Al-Awwal Stadium in Omdurman, Sudan.

The game came to an exciting finale, but Al Hilal won it to rise to third place in the standings of group A, with a balance sheet of 4 points, as Al-Ahly are temporarily runners-up and Al-Marriikh fourth.

Mamelodi Sundowns leads the group standings with seven points, and hosts Al-Ahly this Saturday afternoon.

The derby had loads of stakes, despite the absence of fans in the stands. Six yellow cards were issued to each team, and there was an expulsion of Imad Ali, an Al-Marreikh player – at the 52nd minute, after receiving second yellow.

Al Hilal’s coach Joao Motta also received a yellow card for aiming at the ref with harsh words, so did Lee Clark, his counterpart in the Merrikh dugout.

The game, adjudged to be violent and physical by football lovers, equally had a modest technical level on both sides, but Al Hilal was relatively better and scored through striker, Yasser Muzammil, who tapped in after a cross from a corner kick in the 84th minute.

Next week, Al Hilal will host Sundowns in Sudan, while Al-Marikh plays in Cairo against its Al-Ahly. The group leaders and runner-up qualifiers for the quarter-finals. Al-Ahly are holders of the last two editions of the CAF champions league.