DR Congo giants AS Vita, Morocco’s AS Berkane and Al- Masry of Egypt secured their places in the 2018 CAF Confederations Cup quarter-final stage while Ghanaian Champions Aduana Stars’ road came to an end after a 2-0 defeat by ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast.
Group A
AS Vita sailed through to the knockout stages of the 2018 CAF Confederations Cup thanks to a 2-1 win over Moroccan outfit Raja Casablanca at the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa on Sunday afternoon.
Fabrice Luamba Ngoma and Jean-Marc Makusu Mundele scored for Vita who now sit at ten points and will only be fighting for the top spot when they travel to Abidjan to face Asec Mimosas. Raja dropped to second place but can still finish top of group A should they beat Aduana Stars as only two points separate them.
In the other group A match, Ghanaian champions, Aduana Stars were beaten 2-0 by ASEC Mimosas. First-half goals from Gbagnon Anicet Badie and Braciano Ta Bi secured maximum points for the Ivory Coast side and condemned Aduana to elimination with one match left to play. Mimosas, on the other hand, need to beat Vita and hope for Aduana to avoid defeat against Raja.
Group B
The group is all but done after the two teams recorded wins. Moroccan side Berkane beat Al Hilal Omdurman of Sudan 2-0 away on Sunday to reclaim control of the group while Al Masry forced a 1-1 away draw at UD Songo and dropped down to second place although they went through to the last eight.
Berkane host UD Songo in the final group game for a chance to confirm their top spot as Al Masry play home to Al Hilal.
Group C
Wins for CARA Brazzaville and Enyimba boosted their chances of making it out of the group as they both moved above Williamsville who were previously on top.
CARA beat Ivory Coast’s Williamsville AC 3-1 in Brazzaville to take charge of the group. Nigerian representatives Enyimba labored to a 1-0 win away to Djoliba in Bamako while Mali share the top slot with CARA on 9 points.
Williamsville AC dropped to third with seven points and must beat Djoliba in their last game in Abidjan if they are to stand any chance of qualifying to the quarter-finals. CARA, on the other hand, will travel to Port Harcourt to play Enyimba.
Group D
The teams to progress to the quarter-final stage will be decided on the final day after leaders Kenya’s Gor Mahia suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of Rwandese club Rayon Sport.
Burundi-born forward Bonfils Caleb Bimenyimana put Rayon ahead in the third minute. Francis Mustafa leveled matters in the 22nd minute, but Eric Rutanga restored the visitors lead eight minutes into the second half with a free-kick.
In the second match of the day, eliminated Young Africans upset Algerian giants USM Alger by 3-1 in Dar-es-Salaam.
Rayon will face Yanga in Kigali, and a win will see them progress to the quarters while USM Alger and Gor Mahia tussle it out in Algiers.
The final round of matches will be played on Wednesday, August 29th.
Group A
Aduana Stars (Gha) 0-2 ASEC Mimosas (Ivo)
AS Vita Club (DRC) 2-0 Raja Casablanca (Mar)
Group B
UD Songo (Moz) 1-1 El Masry (Egy)
Al-Hilal Omdurman (Sud) 0-2 Berkane (Mar)
Group C
CARA Brazzaville (Con) 3-1 WAC (Ivo)
Djoliba (Mali) 0-1 Enyimba (Nigeria)
Group D
Gor Mahia (Ken) 1-2 Rayon Sport (Rwa)
Young Africans (Tan) 2-1 USM Alger (Alg)
