APR coach Adil Mohamed has expressed satisfaction with his team’s progress to the next round of the 2021 Total CAF Champions League. The Rwandan league champions beat Somalian side Mogadishu City 2-1 at Kigali stadium on Sunday to advance 2-1 on aggregate and book a place in the first round where they will face Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia. Djabel Manishimwe scored a volley in the 60th minute to cancel out Bi Marc Boue’s goal in the 24th minute before center back Hassan Karera netted the winning goal in the 73rd minute that eliminated the resilient Somalia side from the African Champions League. Both teams had drawn 0-0 in the opening leg a fortnight ago in Somalia. The Moroccan coach told reporters after the resounding victory that his team performed as expected. “I’m impressed with the output of my players. They played very well and had to be tactically alert throughout the match to overcome Mogadishu. The next stage will certainly be more difficult and we will work towards that,” Adil said. Adil added that they are looking forward to the next stage where they are due to face former Champions league winner, Etoile Sportive du Sahel from Tunisia. “Etoile Sportive du Sahel is an experienced side in this competition. North African teams are always difficult to play against. We will step up our preparations for the huge task ahead,” he noted APR will first host Etoile du Sahel next month while the return leg will be held in Tunisia on October 23. Etoile du Sahel has never lost to APR in their past two meetings. APR has a poor record against in the champions league while Étoile du Sahel has won 1 CAF Champions League, 2 CAF Super Cup titles, 2 CAF Confederation Cup titles and 2 African Cup Winners Cup. APR have never reached the group stage since they made their debut in Africa’s biggest club competition in 1997.
