TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup: The journey of RS Berkane
· All North African affair in TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup final
· Two-time winners, RS Berkane looking at reclaiming the title
· Fourth TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup final in a space of five seasons
Two-time TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup champions, RS Berkane are eyeing a third title as they prepare to face fellow North African side, Zamalek SC of Egypt over a two legged final scheduled for 12 and 19 May.
The Moroccans, who last lifted the title in 2022 in a nail-biting penalty shootout against Orlando Pirates have been in a rich vein of form since the start of the tournament, finishing top of their group and dispatching the high-flying Abu Salem who emerged as one of the tournament’s exciting clubs of the competition.
In Zamalek, the former champions eye revenge against a side that edged them in the 2019 final to lift their first TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup trophy.
CAFOnline takes a look at how the Moroccans reached the Final.
Preliminary round: Narrow victory over Bendel FC
The journey started off quite difficult for the former champions in the second Preliminary round after first being held to a tough 2-2 draw by Bendel FC before edging the Nigerians 1-0 in the narrowest of margins to advance to the group stages of the competition.
Group stage: Finished top of Group D with 14 points, highest in the competition
The former champions were ruthless in a tricky Group D consisting of Mali’s Stade Malien, spirited South African debutants, Sekhukhune United as well as Diables Noirs of Congo Republic.
Despite facing difficult opponents, they finished top of the group with 14 points, the highest in the competition after four wins and two draws to stamp their authority as the tournament favourites.
Quarter-final: RS Berkane dig deep against Abu Salem
The Quarter-Finals duel between RS Berkane and Abu Salem is one of the tournament’s highlights. The two sides played out to a highly tactical but entertaining 0-0 draw in the first leg in Libya – a result that put Abu Salem psychological ahead of the former champions.
With the goalless first leg, Abu Salem headed to Morocco with their heads held high and as expected, were fearless against the former champions who narrowly overcame them 3-2 in a high-octane clash as the Moroccans marched on.
Semi-final: Declared winners over USM Alger
RS Berkane were declared winners of the two-legged semi-final to set up what promises to be one of the most memorable TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup final on 12 and 19 May.