CS Constantine carved their name into the history books by securing a spot in the African Confederation Cup semi-finals after a nail-biting penalty shootout victory (4-3) against fellow Algerian side USM Alger.
The quarter-final clash, which wrapped up on Wednesday, saw the second leg finish in a tense 1-1 draw—mirroring the scoreline from the first leg at Constantine’s Chahid Hamlaoui Stadium.
USM Alger struck first in the rematch, capitalizing on a penalty awarded in the 26th minute. Adam Alilat stepped up and coolly slotted it home. But Constantine fought back after the break. In the 56th minute, Dib collected the ball in midfield and fed Abdel Nour Belhoussini, who cleverly tucked it past goalkeeper Ben Bout to level the score at 1-1.
Late drama nearly tipped the scales when Boussliou, set up by Khaldi in the 83rd minute, sent a header agonizingly wide. With the deadlock unbroken, penalties decided the fate.
Constantine held their nerve, triumphing 4-3 to book a semi-final showdown with Morocco’s RS Berkane, last edition’s runners-up.
