Trailing by two goals from the first leg, MC Alger overturned a first-leg deficit to defeat Nigeria’s Enugu Rangers 3-0 on Friday, October 23, 2026, securing a 3-2 aggregate victory at Ali Ammar Stadium in Douira to reach the CAF Champions League group stage, DZfoot reported.
The decisive strike arrived in stoppage time as Soufiane Bayazid turned home a cross from Ali Azaizeh in the 90th+3 minute. The dramatic winner sent the stadium into euphoria, completing a three-goal comeback that mirrors the club’s famous 1976 semifinal elimination of the same Nigerian opponents.
Stifled First Half Gives Way to Second-Half Surge
Enugu Rangers traveled to Algeria carrying a 2-0 lead from the opening leg played five days prior in Nigeria. Protected by a disciplined defensive block, the visitors neutralized the Algerian attack through a scoreless first half despite sustained pressure from the home supporters inside the venue in Douira.
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The breakthrough for the hosts arrived in the 58th minute. Following a corner kick, Chahreddine Boukholda reacted quickest to force a deflected header past the defensive line and open the scoring on the night. Mohamed Zougrana nearly added a second soon after, directing a headed effort just over the crossbar in the 65th minute.
Missed Penalty Precedes Late Equalizer
MC Alger missed an opportunity to level the aggregate score when Mohamed Saliou Bangoura failed to convert from the penalty spot in the 70th minute, after Marwane Khelif drew a foul inside the box. Bangoura atoned for the miss in the 85th minute, netting the team’s second goal to bring the tie level at 2-2 on aggregate and push the contest to the brink of extra time.
The officiating crew for the high-stakes fixture was appointed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) referee commission and led by central referee Ritselitsetsu David Molisi from Lesotho, with Soro Vatswani and Siza Shawn Dangamandla Siza serving as assistants, according to algerie-foot.com. The Mouloudia squad managed the fixture despite key squad absences, playing without injured captain Ayoub Abdellaoui and suspended player Osama Ben Hawa.
Stoppage-Time Winner Secures Group Stage Berth
Rather than settling for extra time, Khaled Ben Yahia’s side found the decisive third goal in the dying moments of regulation. Bayazid’s late conversion sealed the 3-2 aggregate triumph, extending MC Alger’s run of consecutive qualifications to the CAF Champions League group stage to three seasons.
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