Club Africain beat Mazembe to secure group stage spot in CAF Champions League

Club Africain has secured their place in the group stage of the CAF Champions League after defeating their Congolese guests Mazembe 1-0 on Sunday evening at the Hamadi Akhari Stadium in the second leg of the preliminary round.

Club Africain's qualification came after two matches characterized by intensity and strong competition, with a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Congo, before the Tunisian side secured victory in the return leg, ensuring their passage with an aggregate score.

Cameroonian Thaddeus Nking scored the only goal of the match in the 2nd minute of added time in the first half, after Hamza Khadraoui capitalized on a defensive error from Mazembe players and passed the ball to his teammate, who successfully found the back of the net.

The goal gave the home side a crucial advantage before the break, while the second half saw attempts from the Congolese team to equalize, met with a solid defensive organization from Club Africain, who maintained their lead until the final whistle.

The Tunisian team displayed defensive discipline in the remaining minutes, successfully thwarting Mazembe's attempts to maintain a clean sheet and secure qualification to the next stage of the continental competition.

With this achievement, coach Maher Kanzari has successfully guided Club Africain to the group stage after the team overcame the challenge of the second preliminary round.

Club Africain joins its compatriot Espérance Tunis, who also secured qualification to the group stage after overcoming Al-Suwaihly, ensuring that Tunisian football has two teams present in this stage of the competition.