CS Sfaxien became the second team to book a place in CAF Confederation Cup group stages after bundling out AS Kigali with a 5-2 on aggregate victory in the playoff.
Sfaxien came into the second leg in Kigali with a healthy 4-1 advantage and never looked like they would relinquish it and held the Rwandans 1-1 on Saturday thanks to Firas Chawat equalizer in the second stanza.
AS Kigali started the game with a high pace with Hussein Shabani missing on a first minute cross from Pieere Kwizera shooting wide.
It did not stop there as the Eric Nshimiyimana’s coached side keep on pushing and missing more chances as Alex Orotomal and Javinier Benedata were fed well from Shabani’s crosses.
Tunisian’s hit-man Mohamed Sahil Ali who scored a brace in the first leg in Tunis was nowhere to be seen as he was man marked by AS Kigali’s defence led by Mossi Rurangwa.
The City of Kigali-sponsored side should’ve taken the lead when a ball from the right-side on 25 minutes by Orotomal found Abubakar Lawal, who tapped wide of the bottom-corner.
Orotomal was next to attempt the breakthrough for the host after landing onto a cross-field ball on the near-side of the area, but he also failed to test their opposite number Dahmen Aymen.
Sfaxien slowly began to hold their own, however they were behind when Lawal connected a well taken free kick on 44 minutes to pick out the top-corner.
The Tunisians started the second half pinned their own half as Kigali gunned towards second goal, but Hussein Shabani failed to profit from a corner-kick.
Shabani came close again after 58 minutes following a short-corner from captain Latif Bishira, but his towering header in the centre of the area sailed over the top.
Sfaxien pushed for an equalizer and were rewarded in the 61st minute as Firas Cahwat rose highest and towered home a header beyond Eric Ndayishimiye.
AS Kigali regrouped following a slow spell and brought the best out of Aymen with a curling free-kick from Pierre Kwizera, as full-time loomed.
Walid Karoui should’ve given Sfaxien a second from a ball in the area, but struck the post minutes later before going on to stung the gloves of Ndayishimiye, but the draw was enough to send the Tunisians to group stages of Africa’s second tier club competition.
