Downs advance to Caf quarterfinals

Late strike does trick

TITLE-HOLDERS Mamelodi Sundowns and Esperance and Etoile Sahel of Tunisia became the first qualifiers for the Caf Champions League quarterfinals on Saturday.

Gangling Liberian Anthony Laffor scored five minutes from time to earn Downs a 1-0 Group C win over Saint George of Ethiopia in a packed 30 000-capacity Addis Ababa stadium.

Saint George, the first Ethiopian side to reach the group stage of the premier African club competition, wasted a great chance to take the lead on the stroke of half-time.

Sundowns defender Anele Ngcongca handled the ball inside the box, but a timidly struck penalty from leading 2017 Champions League scorer Saladin Said was parried to safety by Denis Onyango.

Esperance led and trailed against V Club of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Kinshasa during a 2-2 draw in which home player Makwekwe Kupa was red-carded.

Tunisian Taha Yassine Khenissi continued his hot form for club and country by scoring on 10 minutes in the Stade des Martyrs, one of the most intimidating African football cauldrons.

Tady Etekiama, who once served a two-year ban for falsifying his age and using a fake passport, bagged a brace within eight minutes and V Club led 2-1 at half-time.

Needing maximum points to keep alive hopes of squeezing into the quarterfinals after the final round next weekend, V Club were hit by a double blow.

Kupa was sent off and Esperance levelled almost immediately when Khenissi converted a penalty.

Esperance have nine points, Sundowns eight, Saint George five and V Club four with Downs assured of a top-two finish on head-to-head records.

Etoile Sahel drew a third consecutive group A game, but the 1-1 stalemate with Ferroviario Beira in Mozambique was sufficient to ensure a quarterfinal berth.

Chelito Omar gave Ferroviario a 72ndminute lead and Slim Ben Belgacem equalised by converting a penalty six minutes from time. — SuperSport