AS Maniema Union and Durban City seal emphatic progress to TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup group stage
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DR Congo’s AS Maniema Union and South Africa’s Durban City both advanced in convincing fashion to the group stage of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup on Sunday after completing dominant aggregate victories in their second preliminary round ties.
Maniema Union defeated Angola’s Kabuscorp 4-1 in the second leg to go through 8-2 on aggregate, repeating the same scoreline they achieved away from home in the first leg.
Durban City beat AS Port Louis 2000 3-0 to complete a 6-1 aggregate success and book their place in the next phase for the first time in the club’s history.
Maniema Union quickly underlined their control of the tie with another ruthless attacking display.
Clément Pitroipa opened the scoring in the 10th minute, before Prince Soussou doubled the lead in the 37th minute to put the Congolese side firmly in command by half-time.
Kabuscorp managed to pull one back, but Maniema Union continued to dominate and restored their two-goal cushion through Souleymane Kane in the 78th minute.
Andy Junior Magagula then added a fourth in the 90th minute to complete another emphatic win and underline Maniema’s status as one of the standout teams of the preliminary rounds.
Durban City were equally efficient in seeing off AS Port Louis 2000. Holding a 3-1 advantage from the first leg, the South Africans made sure of qualification with an assured away performance.
Gaston Sirino struck in the 12th minute to extend their overall lead, and Haashim Domingo added a second in the 25th minute.
Any remaining doubt was removed in the 52nd minute when substitute Ethan Brooks found the net to seal a comfortable victory.
For Maniema Union, it was a commanding two-legged performance built on attacking sharpness and consistency.
For Durban City, it was a landmark afternoon as they secured a historic first qualification for the group stage.
Both sides will now look ahead with confidence as the competition enters its next phase.
