CAFCL: Simba beat Horoya to make the quarter finals; Wydad, Kabylie join them
Tanzanian giants Simba SC thrashed Guinea’s Horoya 7-0 at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Saturday to thunder into the quarter-finals in style.
Clatous Chama scored a hattrick for Wekundu wa Msimbazi with Jean Beleke and Sadio Kanoute scoring two each as Simba made it into the last eight for the third time in five years.
They cemented their hold on second spot as they moved to nine points, five ahead of third placed Horoya and four behind group winners Raja Club Athletic who picked a point in their 1-1 away draw against Uganda’s Vipers in Kampala.
The hosts were in a must win situation heading into the tie and they were off to a fast start. Just 10 minutes in, they broke the deadlock when Chama whipped in a brilliant freekick from the edge of the box.
Horoya almost drew level minutes later, but Pape Ndiaye’s two shots went narrowly wide. In between Simba had a brilliant chance to make it 2-0 when Chama broke off on the counter, but his pass back to the area was a yard behind Saido Ntibanzokiza who was racing towards goal.
They however made it 2-0 after 32 minutes when Beleke reacted quickest after the keeper spilled a Dennis Kibu shot. They made it 3-0 after 34 minutes from the penalty spot, Chama putting the spotkick away after a handball inside the box.
Simba went into the break with a three-goal cushion and one foot into the last eight.
They kept the tempo in the second half and they made it 4-0 nine minutes after the restart when Kanoute placed a brilliant shot into the top right corner after being set up by Chama off a brilliant cutback from Ntibanzokiza.
Beleke completed his brace in the 65th minute when he beat the keeper one on one after pinching the ball off a defender at the edge of the box. Chama then added his third and Simba’s sixth with a sublime finish inside the box from a Sakho cutback.
Kanoute then put the icing on the cake with the seventh four minutes to time with another brilliant shot from outside the area after being teed up by Shomari Kapombe.
Elsewhere in neighboring Uganda, Vipers SC under new coach Alex Isabirye picked up their second point in the group and scored their first goal in a 1-1 draw with Raja Casablanca.
Nigerian Abubakar Lawal scored the leveller at the stroke of halftime, finishing off at the backpost off a cross from Issa Mubiru.
Raja who are unbeaten in the group had opened the scoring after 18 minutes through Soufiane Benjdida who connected easily from three yards out off a Zakaria Labib cross.
This was the first time in the group phase that Raja were dropping points having been on a run of four successive victories.
With the top two already decided, the last round of matches will merely count for statistic with Horoya hosting Vipers in Conakry while Simba will be away to Raja.
Mouaki Dadi came off the bench to score at the stroke of 90 minutes as JS Kabylie sailed into the quarter finals with a 1-0 win over Petro de Luanda at home.
The game seemed to be headed for a draw, but the Algerian side was rewarded for their industry in the final 10 minutes of the game to clinch the second and only remaining quarter final slot from Group A.
The win took them to 10 points and on top of the group ahead of defending champions Wydad, whom they face in the final match day after the international break.
Petro, semi-finalists from last season, remain third with four points, and their final match against AS Vita Club in Kinshasa will be merely to cement a strong finish.
Mouaki who had come in after 72 minutes scored a well taken goal, breaking into the box before planting the ball low into the net. The goal had come after a period of pressure from the home side.
JSK had a brilliant chance to grab a goal when the Petro goalie punched Mouaki’s shot into Massinissa Nait’s path at the edge of the six yard box, but the latter blazed the rebound over.
In the 89th minute, they had another glorious chance when Kouceila Boualia landed the ball inside the box, but he could not execute a goal.
Just like the first leg, which also ended in a barren draw, it was a tough and closely contested duel. But Petro were off to a fast start and after 27 seconds had their first chance at goal when Anderson Cruz fired to the side netting after a cross from the right was defended into his path.
In the second half, there were a few chances as well. In the 65th minute, Juba Oukaci forced the Petro keeper to a neat save after his shot from distance was deflected.
On the other end, skipper Tiago Azulao came close when he flew in to try head a cross from a freekick, but his effort went wide.
Athar El Tahir missed a last gasp penalty as Sudanese side Al Hilal missed out on an opportunity to qualify for the quarter finals after being held by South African side Sundowns.
Hilal had come from a goal down to level 1-1 and were awarded a 90th minute penalty after Mohamed Yasser was brought down inside the box.
However, El Tahir took a tame kick which was saved by Sundowns keeper Ronwen Williams, atoning for his mistake that led to the hosts’ equalizer.
With the point from the match, Hilal are on 10 points, three ahead of third placed Al Ahly whom they face in the last match in Cairo. Hilal will go through with a point away from home, but a loss of more than two goals will see them bow out.
Captain Mohamed Abdelrahman had scored the equalizer five minutes after Khuliso Mudau had given Masandawana the lead. The skipper made the most of a mistake from Downs keeper Williams, dispossessing him of the ball a yard from goal and tapping home.
Sundowns had broken the deadlock in the 67th minute when Mudau reacted fasted to a rebound after the Hilal keeper had spilled Aubrey Modiba’s freekick from range.
Just after scoring the equalizer, Hilal had a good chance to score the second when Makabi Lilepo made a good run on the right and cut back to his left, but his curling effort blew over.
The game had broken into life in the second half, after some few opportunities in the opening 45 minutes. Lilepo had a good chance after 10 minutes when he raced into a long ball but his shot on the volley was saved.
Three minutes later he had another good opportunity when he broke into the box on the counter, but his curling effort was saved by Williams.
Sundowns had come chances, Teboho Mokoena forcing the keeper to a good save with a drive from range.
Elsewhere, defending champions Wydad Athletic Club have progressed to the quarter finals after playing to a 0-0 draw with DR Congo’s AS vita Club whose hopes have now diminished.
The point took Wydad to 10 points and an unassailable lead from third place with one match left to play.
