CAF Champions League: Late Chouiar strike sends RS Berkane into semifinals

RS Berkane scored late to advance to the semifinals of the CAF Champions League in dramatic fashion after beating Al Hilal 2–1 on aggregate. Mounir Chouiar missed a second-half penalty but was the hero for the reigning Moroccan champions as he scored the crucial goal in a 1-0 second leg victory at the Stade Amahoro in Kigali.

The first interval saw end-to-end stuff in the opening 15 minutes, but Hilal were the better side. The high defensive line of the Sudanese club made it tough for Berkane players to control the tempo of the tie.

Burundi international Jean Girumugisha’s strike went wide for the first chance of the game in the 19th minute before the visitors tried their luck with an attempt from Ayoub Khairi. The half saw a midfield battle from both sides, while scoring chances were limited.

After the resumption, Al Hilal thought they had scored the crucial goal to send them to the semis when Adama Coulibaly scored with a left-footed strike. Nonetheless, a foul on Paul Bassene inside the area forced the match referee to overturn the goal and hand Berkane a penalty.

The resulting penalty was saved by Burkinabe goalkeeper Farid Ouedraogo as he calmly parried away Chouiar’s spot kick. Al Hilal opted to defend the goalless draw as they were hoping to progress via the away goal rule.

RSB sneak into CAF Champions League semifinals

Ousmane Diouf almost gave the hosts the lead with a header, but his effort rattled the post. Chouiar was creating havoc at the other end as he forced a save from Ouedraogo eight minutes before time. Al Hilal’s resistance was broken in stoppage time as Chouiar slotted home perfectly from close range after collecting a through ball from Zinedine Machach.

TO THE SEMIFINALS! ✅

RS Berkane book their spot in the #TotalEnergiesCAFCL 2025-26 final four! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3Ju7QBKa4p

— TotalEnergies CAFCL & CAFCC 🏆 (@CAFCLCC) March 22, 2026

The win takes the CAF Confederation Cup holders to the semifinals. They will face another Moroccan side, FAR Rabat, who eliminated defending champions Pyramids FC on Saturday.