AmaZulu suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Raja Atheltic Club while Pitso Mosimane and his Al Ahly side secured a vital 3-1 win over Al-Merrikh in Cairo on Friday evening.
The result against Usuthu secures qualification to the quarter-finals for the Botola Pro giants as Hadid Ahadad’s sixth-minute strike set the tone to move them to 12 points, six ahead of ES Setif and Benni McCarthy’s side.
Raja was well worth the victory despite the home side showing some creative spark to chase the game after the early opener as the North Africans showed the usual resolute defending while dominating at set-pieces.
It was no surprise to see them profit from some lax defining at a corner when Ilias Hadad netted the second to put the tie to bed in the 76th minute.
The South African debutants now need Horoya to beat ES Setif and hope Raja beat the Algerians while also beating the Guinea Ligue 1 side in Conakry – to have any hope of a quarter-final berth.
Meanwhile, Mosimane’s side managed to secure three points despite a disjointed display as they played the Sudanese giants away from home – in their home stadium in Egypt.
Merrikh’s rivals Al Hilal’s refusal to host the game saw them forced into playing in the champions den and the disadvantage was evident as their impressive display counted for nothing.
Percy Tau opened the scoring in the 19th minute but it was the catalyst for the Red Devils to take control of the game as he eventually was taken off by Mosimane at half-time, presumably as a precautionary measure over his recent muscle strain.
Ramadan Agab’s 63rd-minute equaliser was well deserved that notably sent the home crowd into shock but they rallied behind their team once more as a two-minute goal frenzy turned the tie.
Mohamed Sherif’s snapshot just inside the area and Ahmed Abdelkader’s strike in the 72nd and 73rd minute was enough to move them into a more commanding position ahead of their game against Al Hilal to secure qualification with Mamelodi Sundowns in Group A.
The South African champions, by default, have now been pencilled in as 2021/22 CAF Champions League quarter-finalist as a result.
