Makabi Lilepo scored twice in the second half as Sudanese side Al Hilal turned the tables on Cameroon’s Coton Sport in Garoua, coming from a goal down to win 2-1 in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League on Friday.
It is Hilal’s second consecutive triumph in Group B, moved them to second place on six points, same as leaders Mamelodi Sundowns who play Egypt’s Al Ahly on Saturday.
Coton Sport meanwhile remain winless and bottom of the table after back to back losses at home.
The two sides were off to a cautious start, but Hilal were the first to knock on the door with David Sandan’s shot in the eighth minute coming off the woodwork.
Pushed on by the home crowd, Coton Sport pushed in to get a goal and put their campaign back on track.
Their efforts finally bore fruit two minutes to the break, Patient Gouegoue Wassou shooting them into the lead.
But, Hilal came back in the second half with a will to push through for an equalizer and a possible winner and they did get that seven minutes after the restart through Lilepo.
Five minutes later, he completed a brace with the second with a powerful shot from the edge of the area.
Hilal thought they had their third in the 63rd minute, but Mohamed Abdel Rahman’s goal was flagged down for offside.
Coton Sport put in the effort to try get back into contention, but Hilal defended with heart.
They will however have a chance to make amends next weekend when they travel to Omdurman when the two sides clash again.
By Brian Mboh