Al-Hilal Port Sudan secured a narrow 2:1 victory over Velvallo Adigrat Uni in the first preliminary round of the CAF Confederations Cup on Thursday evening. The Sudanese side took all three points from the encounter in what proved to be a tightly contested opening tie. Three goals were scored throughout the ninety minutes, with the home side ultimately prevailing against the Ethiopian visitors.
The first half produced two goals in quick succession, both arriving in the closing stages of that period. By then, the match was already showing signs of the end-to-end nature that would define it. To be fair, the pace picked up considerably as the half wound down, with both sides looking for an opening.
The decisive moment came late on when the home side struck again in the eighty-seventh minute. And here's the thing about these knockout fixtures — the final twenty minutes often separate the teams. Al-Hilal held their nerve when it mattered, running out of legs but keeping composure when needed.
The statistics paint a picture of dominance without necessarily translating into control. The hosts enjoyed 64 per cent possession and won nine corners to one, yet shot accuracy and total passes were recorded as zero across both sides. Two yellow cards went to Al-Hilal Port Sudan compared with one for their opponents, while the goalkeeper made no saves in what was a relatively quiet afternoon for shot-stopping.
The result leaves Al-Hilal Port Sudan with momentum heading into the second leg, while Velvallo Adigrat Uni will need to find another dimension away from home. Three goals in the match suggests both attacks found space at times, even if the numbers don't fully capture that. The tie remains open, but the home advantage now sits with the Sudanese side.