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Club Africain, Motemba Pembe, Pyramids advance …in CAF Confed Cup

Ahmed Khalil scored twice as former African champions Club Africain of Tunisia trounced Kipanga of Zanzibar 7-0 on Sunday to reach the CAF Confederation Cup playoffs.

After a goalless first leg of the last 32 tie in the Indian Ocean Island last weekend, the north Africans wasted little time establishing their superiority in Rades near Tunis.

Zouhaier Dhaouadi floated a free-kick over the defensive wall and into the net less than two minutes in.

Mohamed Ali Omri also scored to give the 1991 African champions a two-goal advantage by half time at the 60,000-seat national stadium.

Kipanga collapsed in the second half, conceding goals at regular intervals until Khalil completed the rout with his second goal six minutes from time.

The seven-goal aggregate victory was not the biggest of the weekend, though, in the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League.

On Saturday, Pyramids of Egypt also scored seven in their second leg against Al Hilal Alsahil of Sudan in Cairo to complete a 9-0 overall triumph.

Hearts of Oak from Ghana, winners of the 2000 CAF Champions League, bowed out despite beating Real Bamako of Mali 1-0 in Accra through a late Caleb Amankwah goal.

Real won the first leg 3-0 and their overall victory means Ghana will not have any representative in the group phase of the CAF competitions this season.

Daring Club Motema Pembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the 1994 winners of the now defunct African Cup Winners Cup, scraped into the playoffs.

After a shock away defeat by Saint Michel United of the Seychelles, the Kinshasa outfit won the return match 2-0 to secure a place in the playoffs draw on Tuesday.

Forced to play behind closed doors after crowd trouble in a CAF match last season, Pembe took an early lead through Jonathan Ikangalombo.

But the hosts had to wait until 13 minutes from time to score the crucial second goal, which Mpiana Mundindi netted.

Al Akhdar and Al Nasr of Libya, Diables Noirs of Congo Brazzaville, Future of Egypt and USM Alger of Algeria won other ties.

African debutants Future are a side to watch as they hammered Kallon of Sierra Leone 4-0 in Cairo, with Ayman Sfaxi scoring twice, to complete a 6-0 aggregate victory.

In the playoffs, Confederation Cup last 32 winners will play CAF Champions League last 32 losers in two-leg ties on 2 and 9 November with group places up for grabs. –AFP

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