Stade Malien became the first Malian club to reach the CAF Champions League knockout stage on Sunday, edging Tunisian side Espérance 1-0 in Bamako.
Daouda Coulibaly netted the decisive goal in the 54th minute, marking his second strike of the campaign in Africa’s premier club competition. The victory lifted Stade to 11 points after five group-stage matches, while Espérance and Angola’s Petro de Luanda remain on six points each ahead of their clash next Sunday. Tanzania’s Simba SC sit on two points.
This season has been a breakthrough for Stade, who had failed to reach the group stage in 19 previous attempts. Cameroonian duo Mauril Njoya, the coach, and five-goal striker Taddeus Nkeng have been instrumental in a campaign that boasts six wins and three draws.
Stade Malien join Egyptian giants Al Ahly and defending champions Pyramids as the only clubs to have secured spots in the quarterfinals while maintaining unbeaten records.
Pyramids, who lifted the trophy last season in just their second appearance, rallied from behind to beat Rivers United 4-1 in Uyo, Nigeria. Stephen Manyo’s first-half strike had given the hosts the lead, but Mostafa Fathy equalised in the 52nd minute. Marwan Hamdy’s 77th-minute penalty put Pyramids ahead, with late goals from substitutes Odeh Fakhoury and Nasser Maher sealing the win. Pyramids now lead Group A by six points, while Renaissance Berkane of Morocco and Zambia’s Power Dynamos battle for the runner-up spot with seven points each.
In Group C, Saint-Eloi Lupopo of the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns played out a 1-1 draw in Lubumbashi. Enoch Molia’s 19th-minute opener was cancelled out by Jayden Adams’ header 10 minutes into the second half. Al Hilal of Sudan top the group with eight points, Mouloudia Alger of Algeria follow on seven, Sundowns on six, and Lupopo on five. Sundowns, historically a knockout-stage regular, remain winless after four matches, making the group wide open.
