South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca and Tunisia’s Esperance qualified for this season’s African Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday.
Owned by new Caf president Patrice Motsepe, Mamelodi Sundowns made it four wins from four in Group B with a 1-0 victory at home to TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Lebohang Maboe scored the goal which put the South Africans into the knockout phase with a maximum 12 points and two group matches still to play.
In the same group, Sudan’s Al Hilal and CR Belouizdad of Algeria drew 0-0 in Omdurman. Both are on three points with Mazembe bottom of the group a further point back.
Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca qualified for the quarter-finals from Group C after they held Horoya to a 0-0 draw in Guinea. Wydad are yet to concede a goal during the group phase.
South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs earned a point away to Group C’s bottom side Petro Atletico in Angola with a 0-0 draw.
Wydad are on 10 points with Horoya and Kaizer Chiefs five points adrift.
Esperance became the third team to qualify for the quarter-finals on Tuesday with a 1-0 win away to struggling Zamalek in Egypt.
Hamdou Elhouni’s second half strike put the Tunisians top of Group D on 10 points – two points ahead of Algeria’s MC Alger who defeated Senegal’s Teungueth 1-0 courtesy of a Mehdi Benaldjia first-half goal.
Zamalek are third on two points and need to win their last two matches and hope other results go their way if they are to reach the quarter-finals.
The top two in each group qualify for the last eight.
Earlier in the day, African Champions League holders Al Ahly of Egypt got the defence of their title back on track with an impressive 3-0 win away to Group A rivals AS Vita Club – Ahly’s first Champions League victory in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ahly began the day having taken just one point from their last two group games and defeat in Kinshasa would almost certainly have denied them a place in the knockout phase.
Al Ahly, under intense pressure to get three points, seized an early initiative against Vita Club thanks to a 6th minute strike from Mohamed Sherif.
Mohamed Magdi Kafsha made it 2-0 to Ahly 13 minutes later with forward Taher Mohamed adding a third late on in the second half.
Pitso Mosimane’s Ahly are now second in Group A, three points behind leaders Simba of Tanzania who were 3-0 home winners over Sudan’s Al Merreikh.
Mozambique’s Luis Miquissone opened the scoring for Simba with Mohamed Husseini and Chris Mugalu adding to the scoreline.
Al Merreikh are bottom with one point, three below third placed Vita Club.
Champions League results:
Group A:
- Simba (Tanzania) 3-0 Al-Merreikh (Sudan)
- AS Vita Club (DR Congo) 0-1 Al Ahly (Egypt)
Group B:
- Al Hilal (Sudan) 0-0 CR Belouizdad (Algeria)
- Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) (Q) 1-0 TP Mazembe (DR Congo)
Group C:
- Horoya (Guinea) 0-0 Wydad Casablanca (Morocco) (Q)
- Petro Atletico (Angola) 0-0 Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa)
Group D:
- Mouloudia Alger (Algeria) 1-0 Teungueth (Senegal)
- Zamalek (Egypt) 0-1 Esperance (Tunisia) (Q)
