CAF Confederation Cup: USM Alger maintain perfect record in Group A

Algeria’s USM Alger made it three wins from three matches in Group A following Saturday’s 2-0 CAF Confederation Cup home victory over Malian club Djoliba at the Stade du 5 Juillet in Algiers.

Zakaria Draoui got on the end of a Houssem Ghacha cross to volley in the match winner in the 13th minute before an excellent strike from Ahmed Khaldi put the hosts out of reach. Les Usmists now have a dominant lead in Group A and are well on their way to securing a place in the knockout stage of the competition with matches to spare.

Hosting the last place team in the group, victory was always going to be likely. With one of the weaker attacks in Algeria’s Ligue 1 Professionnelle compared to other top teams from the country, USMA struggled to fully impose themselves until the end of the match.

But a moment of high quality was enough to secure all three points. A swift attack down the left wing created space for playmaker Ghacha, whose service was precise to find the run of Draoui for a composed volley finish.

USMA kept their opponents at arm’s length for the remainder of the match. Midfielder Glody Likonza had a golden opportunity to double the lead soon after the hour mark but he somehow fired off target after a cross deflected kindly to the former TP Mazembe star.

The second goal did arrive in the 84th minute and it was USM Alger leading scorer Khaldi who finished off a satisfying victory for the home support. Collecting a pass from debutant Dramane Kamagate, who was signed after impressive performances from fellow Group A side FC San Pédro, Khaldi produced a beautiful curled effort past Djoliba keeper Wilfried Kouassi.

USM Alger take all three points with a 2-0 victory against Djoliba AC. ⚽️⚽️#TotalEnergiesCAFCC pic.twitter.com/EidHyWC4ew

— TotalEnergies CAFCL & CAFCC 🏆 (@CAFCLCC) January 24, 2026

The two teams will meet again next Sunday in the Malian capital of Bamako. Djoliba must win to keep any hope alive of competing for a place in the quarterfinals of the competition.

CAF Confederation Cup: Group A Table