Published:
Friday, 06 February 2026
MC Alger reignited the race for qualification in Group C of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League after handing Al-Hilal Omdurman their first defeat of the group stage with a 2–1 victory in Algiers on Friday night.
Played at the Stade Ali Ammar (Ali La Pointe), the Matchday 5 encounter saw the Algerian champions deliver a composed and clinical first-half performance before resisting late pressure to claim three crucial points that lift them firmly into contention.
The hosts struck early, capitalising on a costly error by Al-Hilal goalkeeper Sofiane Farid in the 15th minute.
Zinedine Ferhat pounced on a loose touch, rounded the keeper and unselfishly squared the ball for Muslim Anatouf, who tapped into an empty net to give Mouloudia a deserved lead.
Al-Hilal attempted to steady themselves through spells of possession but struggled to penetrate a well-organised home defence.
Mouloudia doubled their advantage just before the interval when Ferhat capped an influential display with a moment of individual brilliance, unleashing a powerful long-range effort in the 44th minute that flew past Farid and into the net.
The Sudanese champions emerged with greater urgency after the break and were rewarded in the 77th minute when Ahmed Salem broke through the defence and finished calmly to reduce the deficit, setting up a tense final phase.
Al-Hilal pushed forward in search of an equaliser, committing numbers into attack, but Mouloudia defended with discipline and maturity, slowing the tempo and protecting their narrow advantage to see out the match.
The result moves MC Alger to seven points and into second place in Group C, while Al-Hilal remain top on eight points despite suffering their first setback of the campaign.
With one round remaining, qualification in the group remains finely poised.
