Semifinalists decided in CAF Champions League

by Graeme Jackson

Saturday Apr 13, 2019. 23:45

The CAF Champions League wrapped up its quarterfinal round on Saturday 13 April 2019, with TP Mazembe, Mamelodi Sundowns, Wydad Casablanca and Esperance de Tunis all securing spots in the final four of the competition.

The afternoon match in Lubumbashi saw TP Mazembe take full advantage of playing at home, thrashing Simba SC 4-1 to progress by the same aggregate score. The Tanzanians actually took an early lead though Emmanuel Okwi, but the Ravens proved too powerful in the end, with strikes from Kabaso Chongo, Meschak Elia, Tresor Mputu and Jackson Muleka.

They will face competition title holders Esperance de Tunis, who defeated Algeria’s CS Constantine 3-1 at the Olympic Stadium in Rades on Saturday night to secure a 6-3 aggregate victory. Saad Bguir’s first-half brace and a late strike from Franck Kom did the trick for the ‘Blood and Gold’.

The other semifinal will see Wydad Casablanca and Mamelodi Sundowns renew their rivalry. The Moroccans powered into the penultimate round with a 5-0 destruction of Guinea’s Horoya AC in Rabat, with goals from Walid El Karti (two), Addellatif Noussir, Mohamed Nahiri and Zouheir El Moutaraji.

South African powerhouses Sundowns lost 1-0 away to Egyptian heavyweights Al Ahly in Alexandria in an early evening game, but that was nowhere near enough for the Red Devils to overturn the 5-0 thrashing they received in Tshwane last weekend.

The semifinals will be played over two legs in late April and early May.

CAF Champions League result, 13 April

Aggregate score in parenthesis

Saturday 13 April

TP Mazembe 4-1 Simba SC (4-1)

Al Ahly 1-0 Mamelodi Sundowns (1-5)

Wydad Casablanca 5-0 Horoya AC (5-0)

Esperance de Tunis 3-1 CS Constantine (6-3)