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No time for Tusker to stagger as Mette lays down marker for Confederations Cup return leg
NAIROBI, Kenya, September 11, 2026 – Tusker head coach Julien Mette says he expects nothing short of a win in Sunday’s return leg of the Caf Confederations Cup preliminary round match against Al Ahli Madani at the Nyayo Stadium. newsbetting.cv
Mette says a defeat would be a damning indictment of their qualities as a team and their ability to play at the highest level.
“If I sum up, the first game I was not really stressed, but I had a little stress because we didn’t know really that team. Now that we have played them, we know them 100 per cent so we will not be surprised. If we are not able to win or to secure the qualification, means that we don’t have the level in terms of tactical and mental,” the gaffer indicated.
The Frenchman adds that they have studied their opponents closely and are ready to pounce on them in their quest for a positive result.
“We have some concerns, but not so much because we have watched it and we have been doing video sessions. My job is to work on the weaknesses we have had. We have trained on that, so now they are prepared,” Mette said.
The first leg between the two sides at the Kigali Pele Stadium, last weekend, ended in a 2-2 draw – the brewers surrendering a 2-0 lead in the second 45.
Mette attributes the slip to a litany of issues, including his charges’ relative inexperience at the continental level coupled with their scant knowledge of their Sudanese opponents.
“Everybody said it was a positive result but then again when you are leading 2-0, you have to secure it. The lack of maturity cost us because some of the experienced players were not on the pitch. There was the question of whether to keep the possession or to go for a third. We played long balls and were punished,” he said.
Mette added: “The player who scored the set-piece and then the penalty, we didn’t know much about him. We haven’t been able to identify him because we have only seen three of their friendly matches. That is the challenge of the first round in that we didn’t know much about the opponents.”
As a template for the continental campaign, Tusker have Nairobi United to look at as a team that have defied the odds to play at the highest level of the competition.
Naibois famously became the second Kenyan side to reach the group stages of the Confederations Cup, outrunning Tunisia’s Etoile du Sahel in last year’s competition.
Granted that the feat is not one to be sniffed at, Mette is determined to go one better by seamlessly progressing through, rather than go all the way to post-match penalties as was the case for Patrick Aussems’ side.
“It was very good news for Kenyan football and a huge performance. But, it was not a win…it was a draw and draws, go to penalty. These first rounds are always very, very tight. If we can copy paste what Nairobi United did, I will take it but I cannot imagine to go on the penalty,” he said.
Well, for them to even have the chance to fight for a slot in the group stages, the brewers will have to go through Al Ahli Madani.
As the first leg showed, Mette’s charges cannot afford a slothful approach or even treat their opponents with kid gloves.
They do that and it will turn into a game of razor thin margins – home crowd or not.
Noxolo Cesane Opens a Two-Goal Lead as the Festival Heads to Pretoria
Noxolo Cesane’s strike carried Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies to a 1-0 win over Stellenbosch FC and opened a two-goal lead at the head of the Hollywoodbets Super League scoring charts at the UWC Stadium in Cape Town on Sunday, 6 September 2026.
The result closed a three-day Amplified festival in the Western Cape and left the defending champions perfect after six matches. Sundowns hold 18 points, five clear at the top of the Super Era stream, with 22 goals scored, none conceded and a match still in hand.
That outstanding fixture is the price of a successful August. Sundowns spent the closing week of the month in Gaborone, where they beat Zambia’s ZESCO Ndola Girls 2-1 in the final of the CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA Qualifier on Saturday, 29 August 2026, taking a third regional title and a place at the continental finals.
Cesane now stands on six goals for the season, two ahead of Refiloe Jane of TS Galaxy Queens, Bonolo Mokoma and Gabriela Moodaly-Salgado of JVW FC, and Siyamthanda Qashani of University of Pretoria.
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Qashani did the most to close that gap. She struck in the 12th, 74th and 85th minutes as University of Pretoria beat TS Galaxy Queens 3-0, the heaviest defeat of the weekend, handing the Rockets a second loss of the season and lifting Pretoria level with them on 13 points from seven matches.
Festival hosts University of the Western Cape matched that scoreline. Aaliyah Jacobs, Lindokuhle Gladile and Tiffany Kortjie all found the net in a 3-0 win over Richmond United that kept the students fourth, also on 13 points, and left Richmond third from bottom on seven. Copperbelt Ladies FC stayed within a point of that group, Maphuti Matlala opening the scoring on 15 minutes before an own goal six minutes into the second half sealed a 2-0 win over Diepkloof Ladies. Stellenbosch FC remain at the foot of the stream, still without a point from seven outings.
In the Super Rise stream, JVW FC protected both their lead and their unbeaten record. Nompumelelo Nyandeni put them ahead on 24 minutes, Sibongile Ntoane levelled for TUT FC on 63, and Shannon Macomo settled it on 77 for a 2-1 win that left JVW on 17 points from five wins and two draws.
University of Johannesburg are second on 14 after a 1-0 win over Ramatlaohle Ladies FC, TUT FC third on 11 and University of Fort Hare fourth on 10 from a run of four draws. Ramatlaohle Ladies FC sit fifth on 10, First Touch FC Ladies sixth on nine after a 1-0 win over Ezemvelo Women’s FC, and Ezemvelo seventh on six. City Lads remain bottom, a 2-0 defeat by University of Fort Hare leaving them without a point or a goal from seven matches.
The festival now moves inland, and it moves into new territory.
Matchweek 8 runs at the Tshwane University of Technology grounds in Pretoria from Friday, 11 September to Sunday, 13 September 2026, and it opens the return leg. Both streams completed a full round of fixtures in Cape Town, so every meeting in Pretoria is a rematch played with the evidence of the first encounter on the table.
Diepkloof Ladies take the hardest of those assignments, hosting Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies in Friday’s opener having lost 6-0 to the champions on the opening weekend in May. Sundowns still carry their outstanding fixture against Copperbelt Ladies FC, which is not on this weekend’s card, and a win in Pretoria would take them eight clear.
University of Pretoria and University of the Western Cape, level with TS Galaxy Queens on 13 points, both have the chance to move ahead of the Rockets on Saturday morning. Pretoria face a Stellenbosch FC side still hunting a first point, while UWC meet TS Galaxy Queens themselves in a rematch of the 2-2 draw that opened both campaigns. Richmond United close the stream on Sunday against a Copperbelt Ladies FC side that beat them 3-1 in May.
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In the Super Rise stream the pressure sits with the chasers. Ramatlaohle Ladies FC open the entire weekend against an unbeaten JVW FC on Friday evening, City Lads meet TUT FC on Saturday afternoon still looking for a first goal of the season, and Sunday brings Ezemvelo Women’s FC against University of Johannesburg followed by First Touch FC Ladies against University of Fort Hare.
The centralised festival model introduced by SAFA continues to shape the competition. Gathering a stream’s fixtures at a single venue across one weekend trims travel budgets, concentrates the supporter experience into one occasion rather than scattering it across the country, and allows coaches to watch their direct rivals in person either side of their own match.
Hollywoodbets Super League Matchweek 8 at the Tshwane University of Technology grounds in Pretoria from Friday, 11 September to Sunday, 13 September 2026
Fri 11 Sept, 15h00: Diepkloof Ladies vs. Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies FC (Era)
Fri 11 Sept, 18h00: Ramatlaohle Ladies FC vs. JVW FC (Rise)
Sat 12 Sept, 9h00: University of Pretoria vs. Stellenbosch FC (Era)
Sat 12 Sept, 11h30: UWC vs. TS Galaxy Queens (Era)
Sat 12 Sept, 15h00: City Lads vs. TUT FC (Rise)
Sun 13 Sept, 9h00: Ezemvelo Women’s FC vs. University of JHB FC (Rise)
Sun 13 Sept, 11h30: First Touch FC Ladies vs. University of Fort Hare FC (Rise)
Sun 13 Sept, 15h00: Richmond United vs. Copperbelt Ladies FC (Era)
Main Photo Caption: Noxolo Cesane extended her lead at the head of the Hollywoodbets Super League scoring charts to two goals, her strike earning Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies a 1-0 win over Stellenbosch FC that carried the defending champions to six wins from six matches, at the UWC Stadium in Cape Town on Sunday, 6 September 2026. Photo: Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies Team
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Ligue des Champions : Lens s’offre une soirée historique à Prague
Soirée historique à Prague pour les Sang et Or. Mené à l’entrée du temps additionnel, le RC Lens a renversé le Slavia Prague (3-2) au terme d’un scénario complètement fou.
Cette victoire permet aux Artésiens de signer plusieurs performances marquantes, avec notamment une remontée inédite depuis 2013 et un premier succès à l’extérieur en Ligue des Champions depuis 28 ans.
Une remontée inédite depuis 2013
Lens a réalisé un véritable exploit sur la pelouse du Slavia Prague. Alors que les Nordistes étaient encore menés au début du temps additionnel de la seconde période, ils ont trouvé les ressources pour inverser complètement la tendance et s’imposer 3-2.
Une telle remontée n’avait plus été réalisée en Ligue des Champions, hors prolongation, depuis 2013. À l’époque, le Borussia Dortmund avait renversé Malaga en quarts de finale retour après avoir été mené au début du temps additionnel. Treize ans plus tard, Lens a donc reproduit cette performance dans un scénario tout aussi spectaculaire.
28 ans après Wembley, Lens retrouve la victoire à l’extérieur
Ce succès en République tchèque marque également le retour de Lens au sommet sur la scène européenne. Il s’agit seulement de la deuxième victoire à l’extérieur de son histoire en Ligue des Champions.
La précédente remontait à novembre 1998, lorsque les Sang et Or s’étaient imposés à Wembley face à Arsenal (1-0), grâce à un but de Michaël Debève. Vingt-huit ans plus tard, Lens retrouve donc le goût de la victoire loin de ses bases dans la plus prestigieuse des compétitions européennes.
Le club artésien signe également une première dans son histoire : il remporte pour la première fois son match d’ouverture d’une campagne de Ligue des Champions. Lors de ses trois précédentes participations, Lens avait enregistré deux nuls et une défaite.
Des statistiques qui marquent l’histoire
Cette victoire historique n’efface toutefois pas une statistique moins favorable. Lens a désormais encaissé au moins un but lors de ses 14 dernières rencontres de Ligue des Champions, pour un total de 27 buts concédés. Parmi les clubs français, seuls Marseille, avec 18 matchs, et Monaco, avec 23, affichent une série plus longue.
Sur le plan individuel, Florian Thauvin confirme lui aussi son excellent début de saison. L’attaquant lensois compte désormais six implications décisives toutes compétitions confondues, avec cinq buts et une passe décisive. Il affiche ainsi le meilleur total parmi les joueurs évoluant dans un club français.
Autre statistique marquante de cette soirée pragoise : Lens est devenu la première équipe à débuter une rencontre de Ligue des Champions avec trois défenseurs nés en 2005 ou après. Souleymane Sagnan, Ismaëlo Ganiou et Kyllian Antonio ont ainsi ajouté une nouvelle ligne à l’histoire du club et de la compétition.
The post Ligue des Champions : Lens s’offre une soirée historique à Prague appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.
Griquas and Pumas chasing local domination with 2026 Currie Cup title
The Griquas and Pumas are looking to continue their superb domination of the local South African rugby scene when they collide in the Currie Cup final at Griqua Park on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 3pm).
Since 2022 either the Griquas or the Pumas have featured in three of the four Currie Cup finals, while both teams have battled it out in every final of the SA Cup competition since its inception in 2023.
It’s an incredible achievement from the two teams, who have impressively overtaken the Cheetahs as the best of the rest in the country, after the four SA United Rugby Championship franchises, the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers.
The final is a repeat of the 2022 edition, which the Griquas hosted but were then stunned 26-19 by the Pumas, who lifted the Currie Cup trophy for the first and only time in their history.
In 2023 the Pumas attempted to defend their title but were beaten by the Cheetahs in the final in Bloemfontein.
The following year saw the Sharks overcome the Lions at Ellis Park, while in 2025 it was the Griquas’ turn to upset the odds against the Lions in Johannesburg as a late penalty saw them snatch the win after the fulltime hooter, to secure their fourth Currie Cup title.
Another title
Now both the Griquas and Pumas will be looking to add another title to their collection, and the team from Kimberley will again be favourites in this final.
Griquas have only lost one game in the competition this season, when they were upset by the Stormers in Cape Town in their opener, with them going on to win their next seven straight games, including an impressive 38-14 pool win over the Pumas in Mbombela, and a thumping 52-12 semifinal win over the Lions to power their way into the final.
However, the Pumas cannot be underestimated, as they showed when they triumphed against the odds back in 2022. Also, while they lost three games in this year’s Currie Cup round robin phase, they have started to hit their straps at just the right time.
The Cheetahs had been the second best team behind the Griquas during the pool phase of the competition, but the Pumas smashed them 52-26 in their final pool game in Mbombela two weekends ago, and then recovered from a 10-3 deficit at halftime to stun the central side 27-24 in their semifinal in Bloemfontein last Saturday.
It is thus two in form teams that are set to duke it out in what should be a grandstand Currie Cup final in Kimberley.
The Pumas will also take heart from having already edged the Griquas 38-35 in the final of the SA Cup competition earlier this year to clinch their second title, while the home team will be hunting for a bit of revenge.