The 2018/2019 total CAF Champions league reached the group stage mark after a successful first round held over the weekend.
A total of 15 teams made it to the group stage where they will join defending champions Esperance de Tunis, while the sixteen first-round losers move over to the parallel 2018/2019 CAF Confederation Cup play-off round.
Record eight-time winners Al Ahly of Egypt edged past Ethiopia Champions Jimma Aba Jifar 2-1 on aggregate while last season’s CAF Confederation Cup runners-up AS Vita also made it to the group stage.
The biggest shock was Kenya’s Gor Mahia failing to go past the first round huddle, exiting at the hands of Lobi Stars from Nigeria.
This edition is the third since the expansion of the league to accommodate sixteen teams, four groups, and a quarter-final stage.
Ducor Sport’s Festus Chuma gives an overview of how each of the 16 teams qualified.
Al Ahly (Egypt)
The Egyptian giants eliminated Jimma Aba Jifar 2-1 on aggregate despite losing 1-0 in Addis Ababa on Sunday.
Didier Lebri managed to put Jimma in front after Salif Coulibaly failed to clear the ball during Ethiopia’s quest to overturn a 2-0 deficit that suffered a week ago in Cairo.
TP Mazembe (DR Congo)
Five-time Africa Champions TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo advanced to the next round despite being held to 1-1 draw by Zesco United of Zambia on Sunday at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.
Veteran forward Tresor Mputu scored the all-important goal for Mazembe to progress on 2-1 aggregate having won 1–0 in Lubumbashi.
Wydad Casablanca (Morocco)
Wydad Casablanca secured a spot in the next round despite losing 3-1 to Senegalese club ASC Diaraf.
The Emperors sealed the spot courtesy of an away goal which was netted by Mohamed Ounnajem just two minutes before the end of the match.
Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
Mamelodi Sundowns eased past Al Ahli Benghazi 4-0 in the return-leg of the CAF Champions League first round to seal a group stage spot after a goalless first encounter.
Uruguayan Gaston Sirino, Liberian Anthony Laffor and Venezuelan Jose Meza scored for Sundowns and Walid Omar deflected a shot from New Zealander Jeremy Brockie into his net.
AS Vita Club (DR Congo)
The Congolese giants claimed an excellent 5-2 aggregate win over Bantu of Lesotho after they were held to a draw in the second leg away from home.
Orlando Pirates (South Africa)
Justin Shonga scored the all-important goal for South African side Orlando Pirates to edge past African Stars of Namibia.
Both sides had fought out a goalless draw a week earlier in the first leg in South Africa.
CS Constantine (Morocco)
Two second-half headed goals by Adil Djabout and Mohamed Walid Bencherifa helped CS Constantine of Algeria to make it to the next round after a 2-0 win against Vipers SC of Uganda at St. Mary’s Stadium, Kitende.
Constantine progressed 3-0 on aggregate after winning the first leg 1-0 last week at the Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium in Algeria.
JS Souara (Algeria)
Also booking a place in the group stage were Algerian side JS Saoura who reached the Champions’ League group stages for the first time ever despite losing 1-0 away at Ittihad Tanger of Morocco.
Abdulkabir El Ouadi’s goal was not enough to help Ittihad Tanger overturn the 2-0 defeat they suffered in the reverse leg.
Ismaily (Egypt)
Egyptian side Ismaily claimed a 3-2 aggregate win over Coton Sport of Cameroon.
The Ismailia-based club earned a 2-0 home victory in the first leg, meaning that they needed to win or draw by any result on Saturday in order to qualify for the next round
Lobi Stars (Nigeria)
After a 3-1 loss to Gor Mahia of Kenya in the first leg encounter played on Sunday, December 16, Lobi Stars had a mountain to climb to advance in the group stage of the second leg.
The Nigeria Professional Football League champions scored the needed goals courtesy of Sikiru Alimi’ brace to squeeze themselves through on away goal rule.
Alimi scored after 79 and 88 minutes to earn Stars a dramatic 2-0 second-leg win with the tie ending 3-3 on aggregate.
Lobi reached the group phase in their only previous Champions League appearance in 2000 while Gor were hoping to become the first qualifiers from Kenya.
Asec Mimosas (Ivory Coast)
Former African champions Asec Mimosas edged Stade Malien in Abidjan to complete a 2-0 aggregate win.
Having won 1-0 away last week, Asec finished the job at home through a goal from 17-year-old forward Abdoul Tapsoba to storm into the group stage.
Simba SC (Tanzania)
Tanzania’s Simba SC overturned a first-leg deficit to claim a 3-1 victory over Zambian side Nkana and secure their passage to the next stage.
FC Platinum (Zimbabwe)
Norman Mapeza coached side played out a 0-0 draw at home to Otoho D’Oyo of Congo. They go through on the away goal rule after drawing 1-1 away in the reverse fixture.
They become the fourth club after Dynamos, Monomotapa and Caps United to make it to the group stages of the competition.
Horoya AC (Guinea)
Guinean club Horoya AC staged one of the greatest African club comebacks to defeat Libyan visitors Al Nasr 6-2 in Conakry on Sunday.
Trailing by three goals after the first leg of the round-of-30 tie, the west Africans took advantage of rivals reduced to 10 men by a red card to build a 5-1 second leg lead.
But with a remarkable triumph just minutes away, Horoya conceded a second goal and Nasr edged in front on away goals with the tie deadlocked at 5-5 on aggregate.
Club Africain (Tunisia)
Tunisia giants Club Africain lost 1-0 to Sudanese outfit El Hilal of Sudan but scrapped through the tie 3-2, as they seek to become African champions for the second time since 1991.
