The opening day of the Confederation Cup group stage featured two captivating derbies, one between Sudanese teams and the other involving Malian sides. El Hilal Omdurman emerged victorious in the Sudanese clash, defeating El Ahly Shendi 2-1. Meanwhile, Djoliba secured a 2-0 win over Stade Malien in the Malian derby. WAC Casablanca managed to secure a point from their away match against AC Léopards Dolosie, ending in a 1-1 draw.
In Group A, Sudanese club El Merreikh demonstrated the strong form of Sudanese teams by winning 1-0 against Interclube from Angola. Ahmed Albasha scored the decisive goal five minutes from the final whistle. The Sudanese derby in the same group favored El Hilal Omdurman, who secured a 2-1 victory over El Ahly Shendi. Mudhatir Careca opened the scoring for El Hilal, Hamoda Bashir equalized for El Ahly Shendi, and Senegalese player Ibrahima Sané secured the victory for El Hilal.
In Group B, Wydad Casablanca earned a 1-1 draw against AC Leopards Dolosie during their trip to Congo. AC Djoliba claimed a significant 2-0 victory in the Mali derby against Stade Malien. Defender Salif Coulibaly scored with a header in the 4th minute, and in the 70th minute, Mahamane Cissé’s solo run and left-footed strike secured the second goal. This win propelled the Reds of Bamako to the top of Group B with a two-point lead over other contenders, providing an early advantage in the group stage.
