USM Alger secured a crucial 1-0 victory against Olympique Safi of Morocco on Friday night in the second round of the CAF Confederation Cup group stage. The match, held in Morocco, saw the Algerian side claim all three points in Group A.
The first half ended goalless, despite USM Alger demonstrating a slight advantage in possession and attacking intent. However, the Algerian team struggled to break down the Moroccan defense in the initial 45 minutes.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 84th minute when Zakaria Draoui scored the decisive goal for USM Alger. This late strike proved to be enough to secure the win for the visitors.
The other match in Group A will be played on Sunday between San Pedro of Ivory Coast and AS Real Bamako of Mali.
With this victory, their second in the competition after defeating San Pedro 3-2 at home in the first round, USM Alger now leads Group A with 6 points, three points ahead of Olympique Safi.
Meanwhile, CR Belouizdad, the other Algerian representative in the CAF Confederation Cup (Group C), will face Otoho d’Oyo of Congo on Saturday in Brazzaville. CR Belouizdad, who won their first-round match against Black Star of Tanzania 2-0, will be looking to maintain their winning start and secure their position at the top of their group.
The competition will be paused for the Africa Cup of Nations 2025, scheduled from December 21, 2025, to January 26, 2026. The CAF Confederation Cup will resume in January 2026 (23rd, 24th, 25th) with the third-round matches. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals.
