CAF Confederation Cup: Al Ittihad do enough, Coton FC and Hafia advance

Six clubs advanced to the final stage of qualifying for the CAF Confederation Cup on Friday with Libya’s Al Ittihad among the clubs to move on.

Ittihad did not have an easy time in front of over 30,000 supporters at the Tripoli Stadium but did just enough to get past Ethiopia’s Wolayta Dicha with a 3-1 second leg victory. Thatayaone Ditlhokwe opened the scoring when the Botswana national team defender was left with a simple header after Dicha goalkeeper Biniyam Genetu failed to claim a long throw-in.

The Ethiopian club did respond before halftime but could not maintain the pressure on Ittihad, who earned a penalty kick that was converted by former Raja Casablanca attacking midfielder Naoufel Zerhouni in the second half to give Ittihad a 3-1 aggregate win.

In Togo, Beninese side Coton FC stormed out the gates in a 4-1 second leg victory over Liberia’s Black Man Warrior after the first leg in Liberia ended scoreless. The opening goal arrived in the 10th minute and Rodrigue Fassinou’s long range rocket crushed any potential resistance for the visitors at the Stade de Kégué in Lomé, Togo.

A valiant comeback effort from Sierra Leone’s Bhantal FC came up short as a 3-2 victory in Abidjan was not enough to overcome Guinean club Hafia FC, whose 3-0 first leg victory in Liberia was too much of a deficit for Bhantal.

Earlier in the day, Zanzibar’s KMKM FC finished the job (video below) against Djiboutian club AS Port. After winning the first leg 2-1, KMKM replicated the feat at the Amaan Stadaium in Zanzibar City to confirm a likely final stage duel against Tanzania’s Azam FC.

Eswatini’s Royal Leopards thrashed Namibian side Young African while in the Mozambican capital of Maputo, Ferroviário de Maputo found two goals in the final minutes to prevent an upset at the hands of AS Fanalamanga of Madagascar.

The action will continue with more intensity on Saturday and Sunday with plenty more to be determined from the first round of qualifying.

CAF Confederation Cup: Friday Results

AS Fanalamanga (MDG) 1-2 Ferroviario Maputo (MOZ)

• Ferroviario Maputo advance 3-2 on aggregate

Royal Leopard (ESW) 5-0 Young African (NAM)

• Royal Leopard advance 7-0 on aggregate

KMKM (ZAN) 2-1 AS Port (DJI)

• KMKM advance 4-2 on aggregate

Hafia FC (GUI) 2-3 Bhantal FC (SLE)

• Hafia FC advance 5-3 on aggregate

Al Ittihad Tripoli (LBY) 3-1 Wolayta Dicha (ETH)

• Al Ittihad Tripoli advance 3-1 on aggregate

Coton FC (BEN) 4-1 Black Man Warrior (LBR)

• Coton FC advance 4-1 on aggregate

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