El-Merrikh Bentiu secured a 1-0 victory over Higaan in the first preliminary round of the CAF Champions League on Friday. The match, played on 5 September 2026, delivered exactly what the scoreboard showed and none of what wasn't there. No goalscorer was named in the available data, and neither was the minute of the decisive goal. What remained was a narrow win for the hosts after a period of difficult form.
This was a preliminary round fixture, meaning the margin for error was already slim. A draw would have sent the tie to a second leg, but El-Merrikh Bentiu chose not to test that route. The 1-0 result means they hold the advantage heading into the return match, though nothing is decided yet. Preliminary rounds always feel like that — a single moment can shift everything.
The hosts arrived with something to prove, and the recent record suggested why. They had lost 0-2 to Azam in back-to-back matches on 28 September and 20 September 2025. Before that, results included a 1-3 defeat to Singida Fountain Gate and a 0-1 loss to APR. The only point on offer in that sequence came from a 0-0 draw with Villa. This win was a change of mood, if not a complete turnaround.
Higaan came in with a different profile. Their last five matches showed a side that could score freely and also concede — four games ended with both teams finding the net or at least one. A 2-2 draw with Mogadishu City, a 4-1 win over Madbakadda, another 2-2 stalemate with Jinjo. They also secured two clean-sheets against Horsid and Dekedaha. The visitors showed they could go toe-to-toe with opposition, though consistency remained an open question.
The result leaves El-Merrikh Bentiu one step closer to the group stage, though the path is far from clear. A 1-0 win at home is never a guarantee of progression, but it does mean the visitors must now do the heavy lifting in the second leg. Higaan will need to find a way to score and keep their defence solid. The tie is alive, and that is the only certainty so far.