Mbatha thunderbolt takes Orlando Pirates to last eight

Pirates' triumph ensured they and title-holders Al Ahly of Egypt qualify from Group C in the premier African club competition.

To complete a joyful day for South Africa, midfielder Elias Mokwana scored the goal that gave Esperance of Tunisia a 1-0 win over Djoliba of Mali and a last-eight slot.

Pirates, Ahly and Esperance joined already-qualified Al Hilal of Sudan, FAR Rabat of Morocco and Pyramids of Egypt in the knockout stage. The final two places will be filled next weekend.

Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa or Raja Casablanca of Morocco will go through from Group B and Mouloudia Alger of Algeria or Young Africans of Tanzania from Group A.

Relebohile Mofokeng gave former champions Pirates a 20th-minute lead in wet Soweto, showing composure to score from close range after goalkeeper Moustapha Zeghba parried a deflected shot.

Mbatha doubled the lead on 61 minutes, taking advantage of retreating defenders to push forward before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net from just outside the area.

Belouizdad, needing a point to remain in contention, created a tense climax by scoring in the second minute of added time through Abdelraouf Benguit.

Pirates need a point from their final fixture -- away to record 12-time African champions Ahly next Saturday -- to win the group.

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- Daunting challenge -

While tackling Ahly in Cairo is a daunting challenge for Pirates, they will draw confidence from having beaten the Red Devils twice in Egypt.

Young Africans continued a dramatic Group A recovery by winning 1-0 away to Hilal, and ending the unbeaten run of the Sudanese outfit.

Burkina Faso international Stephane Aziz Ki netted after seven minutes in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott, where Hilal are based due to the Sudanese civil war.

It was the sixth goal of the African campaign for Ki -- one less than chart-topper Youcef Belaili from Esperance.

Young Africans, who took only one point from their first three matches, will book a last-eight place if they defeat Mouloudia in Dar es Salaam on Saturday.

Mokwana, who attracted the attention of Esperance with his performances for South Africa at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast, struck after 67 minutes in Bamako.

Esperance, runners-up to Ahly last season, will top Group D if they win at home to Sagrada Esperanca of Angola on Saturday.

Djoliba created history this season by becoming the first Malian qualifiers for the Champions League group stage.

But they have been unable to make an impact, taking only two points from a possible 15 and failing to score in their five matches.