MC Alger claimed their first win of the CAF Champions League group stage with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Saint Eloi Lupopo on Sunday night, avenging last week’s defeat and reviving their Group C campaign.
The encounter followed a dramatic meeting in Lubumbashi seven days earlier, where Lupopo edged past the Algerian side to record their maiden group-stage victory.
Determined to respond, MC Alger approached the return fixture with greater control, although the opening half ended without a breakthrough as both sides remained cautious.
The deadlock was finally broken eight minutes into the second half when Marwane Khelif found the net to give the hosts the lead, marking his first goal of the tournament. The strike shifted the momentum firmly in MC Alger’s favour and put Lupopo under sustained pressure.
Unlike their previous meeting, Lupopo were unable to produce a late response, as MC Alger sealed the result in the 82nd minute. Zakaria Naidji delivered the decisive blow with a composed finish that ensured all three points for the Algerian outfit.
MC Alger take all three points with a 2-0 win over FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo. ✅#TotalEnergiesCAFCL pic.twitter.com/sGVff2F5mQ
— TotalEnergies CAFCL & CAFCC 🏆 (@CAFCLCC) February 1, 2026
The victory lifts MC Alger to third place in Group C, leaving them just one point behind second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns as the race for qualification remains finely balanced.
