By Valentine Amanze, Online Editor
Enyimba FC of Aba, Nigeria has qualified for CAF Confederation Cup group stage after defeating a local rival, Rivers United, in Port Harcourt on Sunday.
Enyimba goalkeeper, John Noble, was the hero of the day after stopping the last penalty kick by Rivers United and scoring his in a match that ended 5-4 on penalty shootout after aggregate score of 1-1 in the two-legged encounter.
A Fortune Omoniwari goal just before half-time in Port Harcourt earned hosts, Rivers United, a 1-0 victory in the second leg of a playoff and levelled the aggregate score at 1-1.
After each side converted four penalties, Rivers’ Israel Emmanuel had his kick saved by Noble, who then fired past former Enyimba goalkeeper, Theophilus Afelokhai, for a 5-4 shootout triumph.
Afelokhai moved to Rivers after losing out to Noble as first choice at twice CAF Champions League winners, Enyimba.
Enyimba was among many winners of dramatic ties with three-time African champions, Raja Casablanca of Morocco also needing penalties to survive in the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League.
Raja lost 1-0 away to US Monastir of Tunisia, having won at home by the same score, and after Mohamed Saghraoui fluffed a spot-kick for the Tunisians, Ben Malango scored to win the shootout 6-5.
Twice African champions JS Kabylie of Algeria made an equally nervous entry to the mini-league stage, pipping Stade Malien of Mali on away goals after winning 1-0 at home.
Badreddine Souyah, who scored for the Algerians in a 2-1 first-leg defeat, netted again just four minutes into the return match and it proved the only goal of a physical encounter in Tizi Ouzou.
Zambian club, Nkana, who has never lost in 64 CAF home matches stretching back to 1983, suffered a 17th defeat in 18 visits to north Africa, but still survived.
They fell 2-1 to second division side, Tihad Casablanca in the Moroccan commercial capital, but qualified 3-2 on aggregate.
Nkana were in trouble at half-time as they trailed 2-0 with defenders Mahmoud Bentayg and Ayman Dairani scoring for a club that lives in the shadows of Casablanca giants Raja and Wydad.
But Simon Mulenga halved the deficit on 57 minutes, leaving Tihad needing to score at least twice to progress, and that task proved beyond them, according to AFP.
Unlucky losers included Gor Mahia, the only Kenyan club to win a CAF competition, and twice African champions Asante Kotoko from Ghana.
Gor were written off after losing at home to NAPSA Stars of Zambia, but led 2-1 in Lusaka entering stoppage time and were poised to win the tie on away goals.
However, NAPSA won a penalty in the 96th minute which Emmanuel Mayuka converted for his fourth CAF goal this season and a 2-2 draw meant overall defeat for Gor.
A string of brilliant saves by goalkeeper Razak Abalora helped Kotoko hold fellow former African champions Entente Setif 0-0 in Algeria, but they were eliminated after losing 2-1 at home last weekend. On Monday, Cairo will host a draw at 1500 local time (1300 GMT) that places the clubs into four groups of four with the winners and runners-up advancing to the quarter-finals.