Holders CS Sfaxien and 6 times African champions Al Ahly crashed out of the Confederation Cup this weekend after penalty shoot-out defeats. Defeat heaped further misery on Al Ahly after they were eliminated earlier this season from the African Champions League and forced to play in the African continental equivalent of the UEFA Cup/Europa League.
Ahly took a 3-0 lead into the return match against Santos of Angola and even the absence of star midfielder Mohamed Aboutraika was not expected to prevent them reaching the group phase in Manuel Jose's last game in charge before stepping down to take control of the Angolan national side.
But a Santos team competing in Africa for the first time this year had other ideas and triumphed 3-0 in Luanda to level the aggregate score before winning the fourth-round tie 6-5 on penalties.
Success for Santos completed a wonderful weekend for the oil-rich southern Africa nation in the second-tier African club competition, as Primeiro Agosto eliminated holders CS Sfaxien in Tunisia on Saturday, also after a shoot-out. Elsewhere Stade Malien of Mali outplayed Al-Ittihad Khemisset of Morocco 3-1 in Bamako to advance 4-2on aggregate.
Nigerian side Bayelsa United are also through to the group stage after defeating Kampala City Council of Uganda 4-0
SOURCE: BBC
