OMDURMAN - Sudanese club football giants Al Hilal will try again on Friday to break through the semi-finals ceiling that has thwarted numerous attempts to win a Pan-African competition.The Omdurman side host Malian outfit Djoliba in the first leg of a CAF Confederation Cup last-four tie, with the other fixture two days later in Congo Brazzaville between AC Leopards and Sudanese visitors Al Merreikh.In the last five years, Hilal have been defeated in three CAF Champions League semi-finals and one CAF Confederation Cup semi-final, earning them a reputation of chokers.Hilal, a mix of Sudanese stars plus imports from Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Zimbabwe, finished runners-up in Group A behind Merreikh while Djoliba topped Group B followed by Leopards.The Sudanese reached the last four under Franco-Italian coach Diego Garzitto by winning five matches, drawing two and losing one with two of the victories coming against another Malian side, CO Bamako, in a play-off.Zimbabwe striker Edward Sadomba has been the main source of goals with five, a year after finishing leading scorer in the more challenging CAF Champions League with seven goals.Djoliba topped their section by winning home and away against 2011 CAF Champions League runners-up Wydad Casablanca of Morocco and 2009 CAF Confederation Cup winners and fellow Malians Stade Malien.
