USM Alger edged their Algerian Group B rivals Mouloudia El Eulma 1-0 to earn a fourth straight win and a place in the African Champions League semi-finals.

Mohamed Meftah scored the only goal of the game via a header to berth his team’s slot in the last four of Africa’s most prized competition.

 Al Hilal of Sudan lost their first match of the group stages 1-0 to Moroccan visitors Moghreb Tetouan in their Group A encounter.

Moghreb Tetouan won for the first time courtesy of a 24th-minute penalty converted by Ahmed Jahouh.

Hilal almost levelled when a goal-bound Salah Jizoli shot was cleared by Younes Bellakhdar.

The Sudanese club fluffed a golden chance to equalise 17 minutes from time.

A Tetouan defender handled inside the box, but Senegalese Souleymane Cisse had his penalty kick brilliantly parried to safety by goalkeeper Mohamed El Yousfi.

The result left Mazembe, Hilal and Tetouan sharing top place with five points each while Smouha of Egypt have three.

In the other Group B match reigning champions League Entente Setif of Algeria visit Al Merreikh of Sudan that has become a virtual winners-take-all showdown.

Whatever the result at the 45,000-seat Al Merreikh Stadium in Omdurman, neither club can qualify for the semi-finals nor be eliminated from the race.

But victory for the Merreikh Red Devils or the Setif Black Eagles would place them in pole position to accompany likely Group B winners USM Alger of Algeria to the knockout stage.

Merreikh and Setif have identical records of one win, one draw, one loss and four points after three rounds, with the Sudanese outfit second in the standings because of a superior goal difference.

Setif won the premier Confederation of African Football club competition in 1988 and again last year while the only previous Merreikh appearance in the group stage ended without a win six years ago.

The Sudanese have already bettered that dismal record by defeating Eulma 2-0 in match day one through an own goal and a strike by Al Madina, real name Bakry Babiker.

Denied a point at USM when a late equaliser was controversially disallowed, Merreikh forced a 1-1 draw at Setif two weeks later with Nigerian Solomon Jabason levelling.

Setif, who won the 2014 final on away goals after two draws with V Club of the Democratic Republic of Congo, lost at home to USM and won away to Eulma before the Merrikh stalemate.

Both the Algerians and the Sudanese have suffered from a lack of consistent scorers this season with no player from either team managing more than two goals.

Al Madina and Ahmed Abdallah have reached that paltry figure for Merreikh and Mohamed Benyettou and France-born El-Hedi Belameiri for Setif.

"Our only goal is to come back with a positive result that will strengthen our chances of qualifying for the semi-finals and defending the title," said Setif coach Kheireddine Madoui.

Merreikh handler Diego Garzitto, who coached Democratic Republic of Congo outfit TP Mazembe to 2009 Champions League glory, struck a cautious note.

"We have home advantage and holding Setif in Algeria has greatly boosted morale, but winning will not be easy as we have had a very busy match schedule lately."

DR Congo's TP Mazembe play Smouha of Egypt on Saturday.

Following two goalless draws, Mazembe triumphed 2-0 at Smouha two weeks ago and are poised to collect another three points when the Egyptians visit the Congolese mining city Lubumbashi.

Mazembe cannot pick three of their multi-national squad with suspensions ruling out Ghanaian defender Yam Frimpong, Congolese Merveille Bope and fellow midfielder Zambian Rainford Kalaba.