Setif, Peimeiro de Agosto claim quarters spots
ES Setif of Algeria and Angolan side Primeiro de Agosto booked their places at the quarter finals after narrow wins on the final day of the group stage on Tuesday.
Setif, continental champions in 1988 and 2014 edged fellows MC Alger 2-1 in Algiers joining DR Congo giants TP Mazembe at the last eight from Group B. Akram Djanit and Habib Bougouelmana gave Setif a 2-0 lead before the half-hour mark. Four minutes before recess, Walid Derradja pulled one back for MC Algiers, but it was closest they came to levelling matters.
The Black Eagles finished on eight points, four shy of leaders Mazembe, held one-all by Difaa El Jadidi of Morocco in Lubumbashi. Jadidi and MC Alger garnered six and five points respectively.
Elsewhere in Luanda, early goal did the trick for Agosto who reached the knockout stage for the first time after edging Mbabane Swallows of Swaziland 2-1 . The Angola Armed Forces outfit took the lead on 34 minutes courtesy Jacques Bitumba before Geraldo doubled the score four minutes later in the crucial Group D clash. Quadri Aladeokun halved the deficit for Swallows but it was not enough to deny Agosto a historic place at the knockout stage.
Agosto’s place was secured after fellow contenders Zesco were held 1-1 by leaders Etoile du Sahel in Ndola. It is the first time in two seasons that Zesco have failed to advance to the knockout round after reaching the 2016 CAF Champions League semis and the 2017 Confederation Cup quarterfinals.
It was a game of two halves in which striker Lazarus Kambole scored his seven the goal of the campaign for Zesco. At the other end, Etoile captain Rami Bedoui's second half equalizer ensured they finished unbeaten in Group D en route to second successive knockout stage appearance by the 2007 winners.
Etoile finished on 12 points, three more than Agosto, while Zesco and Swallows tallied six and four points in that order.
Meanwhile the draw for the knockout stages has been scheduled for Monday, 3 September 2018 in Cairo, Egypt.