Mamelodi Sundowns and TP Mazembe secured their places in the quarter-finals of the CAF Champions League with victories in Group A on Saturday.
Sundowns won 2-0 away at Nouadhibou, thanks to first-half goals from Grant Kekana and Themba Zwane.
The South African side started strongly and deservedly took the lead midway through the first half when Kekana headed home a free-kick from Marcelo Allende.
Zwane added a second goal in the 70th minute, courtesy of a fine assist from substitute Lebohang Mokoena. Sundowns peppered the Nouadhibou goal with shots throughout the game, but goalkeeper Babacar Diop kept the scoreline respectable for the visitors.
Sundowns’ win secured their place in the quarter-finals with one match remaining in the group stage, while Nouadhibou was eliminated.
TP Mazembe also secured their quarter-final place with a 3-0 win over Pyramids of Egypt. The DR Congo club started the match slowly but took the lead through Joel Beya’s goal.
They extended their lead just before halftime with a skilful exchange inside the penalty area that led to Glody Likonza scoring.
Mazembe netted a third early in the second half, but it was disallowed for offside.
Pyramids pushed for a comeback, but Mazembe’s defence stood firm and thwarted their attempts. Substitute Patient Mwamba sealed the victory for Mazembe in the dying moments of the game after capitalizing on a mistake by Pyramids’ Blati Toure.
Mazembe’s win moved them to second place in the group with 10 points, while Pyramids are out of the competition with only four points.
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