Tusker beat Sudan’s Al Ahli to advance in Caf Confed Cup
Tusker’s Stephen Odima (left) vies for the ball with Abdelaziz Koda Kafi of Al Ahli Madani during their Caf Confederation Cup preliminary round second leg match at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on September 12, 2026.
What you need to know:
- Midfielder Chrisphine Erambo scored the decisive goal in the 63rd minute as the brewers secured a 3-2 aggregate victory.
- Tusker had gone into the match with a slight advantage following a 2-2 draw in the first leg at Kigali Pele Stadium in Rwanda.
Tusker FC have advanced to the second preliminary round of the 2026 Caf Confederation Cup after edging Sudanese side Al Ahli Wad Madani 1-0 in the return leg at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on Saturday.
Midfielder Chrisphine Erambo scored the decisive goal in the 63rd minute as the brewers secured a 3-2 aggregate victory.
Tusker had gone into the match with a slight advantage following a 2-2 draw in the first leg at Kigali Pele Stadium in Rwanda last weekend.
Chrispine Erambo of Tusker celebrates his goal against Al Ahli Madani and Fabian Adikiny during their Caf Confederation Cup preliminary round second leg match at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on September 12, 2026.
Nigerian striker Victor Mbaoma scored both of Tusker’s goals in the first leg, opening the scoring from the penalty spot in the 11th minute before doubling the lead in first-half stoppage time.
Al Ahli forward Al-Samany Al-Sawi responded with two goals after the break, scoring in the 58th and 88th minutes to force a draw and leave the tie finely balanced.
Speaking after the match, Tusker coach Julien Mette praised Mbaoma’s contribution to the team.
“He can hold the ball and occupy two centre-backs, while creating space for others. Victor is not only a top scorer, but he also takes free kicks, makes good passes and holds the ball well. The plan was to have Victor hold the ball while Stephen Etyang and others made runs,” said Mette.
The Frenchman admitted it had been difficult to analyse Al Ahli because of the lack of competitive football in Sudan.
“The first leg was very difficult to analyse. The Tusker of June is completely different from the Tusker of August and September because we have changed half the team. In Sudan there is no official league, and we only saw friendly matches where they changed players a lot,” he said.
Mette attributed Tusker’s nervous first-half display to the pressure of continental football, noting that even experienced players such as Etyang and Francis Oduor were making their Caf debuts.
He also praised youngster Collins Ochieng’, who provided the assist for Erambo’s winner, saying the performance would boost his confidence.
Tusker FC coach Julien Mette celebrates his team’s win over Al Ahli Madani of Sudan in the second leg of their Caf Confederation Cup preliminary round fixture at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on September 12, 2026.
Tusker are likely to face Tanzania’s Singida Black Stars in the second preliminary round in a month’s time.
Singida thrashed South Sudan’s Al Ghazala Wau 7-1 in the first leg in Juba, with Kenyan Mathew Tegisi scoring a first-half hat-trick.
“If it’s not Singida, it will be the biggest surprise in football history. The Tanzanian league is the best in East Africa. Everyone looks at Simba and Yanga, but Azam and Singida are very good teams, better than us, and they will be the favourites. But we have about a month to prepare and hopefully our league will start soon. We will be able to analyse them well,” Mette said.
The aggregate winner of the second preliminary round will advance to the tournament’s group stage.
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