There was mostly joy but also some heartache for clubs from the COSAFA region competing in the CAF club competitions over the weekend.
One of the biggest results of the round was the 1-0 victory for Madagascan side CNaPS Sport over Kenyan champions Gor Mahia in the African Champions league that gave them a 3-1 aggregate success.
They will now meet the winner of the tie between Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca and AS Douanes Niamey from Niger that must still be completed. The North Africans lead 2-0 from the first leg.
South African club Mamelodi Sundowns needed a late penalty to beat Chicken Inn of Zimbabwe 2-0 to claim a 2-1 aggregate win, while compatriots Kaizer Chiefs moved past Comoros side Volcan Club after their opponents did not arrive in time for the match.
Chiefs were leading 4-0 from the away leg and heavy favourites to progress in any event and now face ASEC Mimosas in the next round. Sundowns take on Congolese side AS Leopards.
Recreativo do Libolo of Angola thumped Equatorial Guinea side Racing de Micomeseng 4-0 for a 9-1 aggregate success that sets up a fixture against Egyptian giants Al Ahly in the next stage.
Zambian champions Zesco United beat Al-Ghazal of South Sudan 1-0 for a 3-0 aggregate win and next take on Horoya from Guinea.
But there were also some clubs from the COSAFA region that dropped out. Lioli of Lesotho were desperately unlucky to lose on the away goals to Vital’O from Burundi, while St Michel United of Seychelles lost 4-1 on aggregate to Kedus Giorgis from Ethiopia.
Swaziland side Mbabane Swallows lost 4-2 to APR of Rwanda, while Cercle de Joachim of Mauritius lost 3-0 to Young Africans of Tanzania.
Three sides from COSAFA also advanced to the next stage of qualifying for the African Confederation Cup.
Sagrada Esperança from Angola stunned South Africa’s Ajax Cape Town, but BidVest Wits breezed past Light Stars of Seychelles 9-0 on aggregate.
Harare City defeated AS Adema from Madagascar 6-3 on aggregate after a fine 3-1 away win at the weekend.
Sagrada Esperança take on another COSAFA side who were given a bye into the second round when they meet Mozambique’s Liga Desportiva de Maputo, while BidVest Wits clash with Azam from Tanzania.
Harare City meet Zambian side Zanaco, another recipient of a first round bye.
