20 Clubs Advance in CAF Club Competitions as Preliminary Rounds Deliver Drama

20 Clubs Advance in CAF Club Competitions as Preliminary Rounds Deliver Drama

By Admin 

A total of 20 clubs have secured passage to the second preliminary round of CAF’s flagship interclub tournaments, following an eventful weekend of action in both the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup.

Twelve teams progressed in the CAF Champions League, Africa’s top-tier club competition, while eight sides advanced in the Confederation Cup. The matches were marked by emphatic victories, tense penalty shootouts, and dramatic aggregate outcomes.

CAF Champions League: Big Wins and Narrow Escapes

In the Champions League, Tunisia’s US Monastir and Algeria’s JS Kabylie were the standout performers of the round, recording aggregate wins of 7-1 and 7-0 over East End Lions and Bibiani Gold Stars respectively.

Kenya Police FC advanced on away goals after a 3-3 aggregate tie with Mogadishu City, despite a 2-0 loss in the return leg. Similarly, Power Dynamos of Zambia eliminated ASEC Mimosas on penalties, after the Ivorians had levelled the aggregate score with a 1-0 win in the second leg.

Nsingizini Hotspurs (Eswatini) and Rahimo FC (Burkina Faso) also triumphed via penalties following goalless aggregate draws against Simba Bhora FC and Mangasport respectively.

Several teams overturned first-leg deadlocks with narrow victories. Rivers United, Al-Hilal, Colombe, Al Ahly Tripoli, and FC Nouadhibou all kept clean sheets to edge through to the next stage after goalless first legs. Simba SC, meanwhile, held off Gaborone United with a 1-1 draw in the return leg, having claimed a 1-0 win in the first encounter.

Two Champions League ties remain undecided. Al-Merrikh will host FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo in Benghazi on Saturday, October 4, aiming to overturn a 1-0 deficit. Defending champions Pyramids FC of Egypt are yet to play their first-leg fixture against Rwanda’s APR, scheduled for Sunday, October 5 at Cairo’s 30 June Stadium.

CAF Confederation Cup: Goals Galore and Tight Contests

In the Confederation Cup, OC Safi (Morocco) and ZESCO United (Zambia) delivered dominant home performances, scoring five goals apiece to comfortably dispatch Nigelec and FC 105 Libreville.

Azam FC (Tanzania), USFA (Burkina Faso), and Ghana’s Asante Kotoko sealed their progression with wins in both legs against Al Merreikh, Gbohloé-su des Lacs, and Kwara United respectively.

AS Otohô moved forward after a goalless second leg against C.D. Primeiro de Agosto, thanks to a 2-1 win in the first match. Djoliba AC edged Abia Warriors 2-1 on aggregate, while Flambeau du Centre qualified in dramatic fashion after a 2-2 draw with Al Akhdar, winning 4-3 on aggregate.

Two ties are yet to be decided. Maniema Union will face Pamplemousses on Friday, October 3, holding a 2-1 lead. Meanwhile, Djabal FC will seek to overturn a 1-0 first-leg defeat against FC Simba at the Stade TP Mazembe in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

CAF Champions League – Notable Results

Monastir 3-1 East End Lions (agg. 7-1)

JS Kabylie 5-0 Bibiani Gold Stars (agg. 7-0)

Kenya Police FC 0-2 Mogadishu City (agg. 3-3, Police advance on away goals)

ASEC 1-0 Power Dynamos (agg. 1-1, Power Dynamos win 5-4 on penalties)

Nsingizini Hotspurs 1-0 Simba Bhora FC (agg. 1-1, Hotspurs win 4-2 on penalties)

Simba SC 1-1 Gaborone United (agg. 2-1)

Rivers United 1-0 JSK (agg. 1-0)

Al-Hilal 1-0 Jamus (agg. 1-0)

 CAF Confederation Cup – Notable Results

OC Safi 5-0 Nigelec (agg. 6-0)

ZESCO United 5-0 FC 105 Libreville (agg. 5-2)

Azam FC 2-0 Al Merreikh (agg. 4-0)

Asante Kotoko 1-0 Kwara United (agg. 5-3)

Djoliba AC 1-0 Abia Warriors (agg. 2-1)

Al Akhdar 2-2 Flambeau du Centre (agg. 3-4)