{"id":1133,"date":"2026-03-23T11:08:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T08:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/?p=1133"},"modified":"2026-03-23T11:08:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T08:08:19","slug":"caf-cl-rs-berkane-seals-semi-final-spot-with-victory-over-al-hilal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/?p=1133","title":{"rendered":"CAF CL: RS Berkane Seals Semi-final Spot With Victory Over Al-Hilal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Moroccan club Berkane struck deep into stoppage time to seal a dramatic 1-0 victory over Al-Hilal on Sunday and book their place in the semi-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the tie finely balanced at 1-1 from the first leg, the Moroccan side delivered a decisive blow in the 93rd minute to claim a 2-1 aggregate triumph, ending Al-Hilal\u2019s campaign in heartbreaking fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The result not only sends Berkane into the last four but also guarantees Morocco a place in the final, with FAR Rabat already through to the semi-finals on the same side of the draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Tense battle with everything at stake<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Played at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, where Al-Hilal are hosting their continental fixtures, the encounter was defined by tension and fine margins from the opening whistle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both sides approached the match cautiously, aware that a single moment could decide the outcome, and the first half passed without a breakthrough despite flashes of attacking intent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Defensive organisation and discipline dominated proceedings, with neither side able to create clear-cut chances before the interval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83c\udf9e\ufe0f Match Highlights:<br>Late goal from Chouiar sends RS Berkane to the semis vs Al Hilal SC.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TotalEnergiesCAFCL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#TotalEnergiesCAFCL<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ro1NzVLlU2\">pic.twitter.com\/ro1NzVLlU2<\/a><\/p>&mdash; TotalEnergies CAFCL &amp; CAFCC \ud83c\udfc6 (@CAFCLCC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CAFCLCC\/status\/2035809968100663376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 22, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>VAR drama and missed opportunity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The contest burst into life early in the second half in a sequence that changed the momentum of the match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Al-Hilal appeared to have taken the lead in the 56th minute when Adama Coulibaly found the net, sparking celebrations among the Sudanese players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, following a VAR review, the goal was ruled out, and the referee instead awarded a penalty to Berkane for an earlier infringement in the build-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was a crucial turning point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Munir Chouiar stepped up to take the spot-kick in the 61st minute, but his effort was saved, allowing Al-Hilal to stay level and regain confidence as the match progressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Hilal push as tension rises<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>With the tie still in the balance, Al-Hilal grew stronger as the game entered its final stages, knowing that a single goal would send them through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They pushed forward with increasing urgency, testing Berkane\u2019s defensive structure while attempting to exploit spaces on the counterattack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the other end, Berkane remained patient, waiting for their opportunity to strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Decisive moment in stoppage time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Just as the match appeared destined for a stalemate, Berkane delivered the decisive moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the 93rd minute, Zinedine Machach provided a precise pass into the penalty area, where Munir Chouiar made amends for his earlier penalty miss by firing a low shot into the net.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The late goal sparked wild celebrations among the Moroccan players, while leaving Al-Hilal stunned after coming so close to progression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Historic progress for Berkane<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The final whistle confirmed Berkane\u2019s place in the semi-finals in what is their first appearance at this stage of the CAF Champions League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their victory highlights their resilience and ability to deliver under pressure, particularly after overcoming missed opportunities and VAR drama earlier in the match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Al-Hilal, the defeat is a bitter one, having seen a potential winning position slip away in the final moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Berkane will now turn their attention to a semi-final clash against compatriots FAR Rabat, with the prospect of an all-Moroccan final now firmly within reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a contest defined by tension, controversy and late drama, it was Berkane who seized their moment \u2014 and kept their continental dream alive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Moroccan club Berkane struck deep into stoppage time to seal a dramatic 1-0 victory over Al-Hilal on Sunday and book their place in the semi-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League. With the tie finely balanced at 1-1 from the first leg, the Moroccan side delivered a decisive blow in the 93rd minute to claim [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[270,259,269,255],"class_list":["post-1133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-al-hilal","tag-far-rabat","tag-rs-berkane","tag-totalenergies-caf-champions-league"],"aioseo_notices":[],"blog_post_layout_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":["https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Berkane-150x150.png",150,150,true],"full":["https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Berkane.png",1000,683,false]},"categories_names":{"4":{"name":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/?cat=4"}},"tags_names":{"270":{"name":"Al-Hilal","link":"https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/?tag=al-hilal"},"259":{"name":"FAR Rabat","link":"https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/?tag=far-rabat"},"269":{"name":"RS Berkane","link":"https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/?tag=rs-berkane"},"255":{"name":"TotalEnergies CAF Champions League","link":"https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/?tag=totalenergies-caf-champions-league"}},"comments_number":"0","wpmagazine_modules_lite_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":["https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Berkane-150x150.png",150,150,true],"cvmm-medium":["https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Berkane-300x300.png",300,300,true],"cvmm-medium-plus":["https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Berkane-305x207.png",305,207,true],"cvmm-portrait":["https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Berkane-400x600.png",400,600,true],"cvmm-medium-square":["https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Berkane-600x600.png",600,600,true],"cvmm-large":["https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Berkane.png",1000,683,false],"cvmm-small":["https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Berkane-130x95.png",130,95,true],"full":["https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Berkane.png",1000,683,false]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1133"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1135,"href":"https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1133\/revisions\/1135"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsnest.co.ug\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}