A Fakhreddine Ben Youssef hat-trick secured a CAF Confederation Cup quarterfinals place for Al Masry of Egypt on Sunday, as Nigerian involvement ended.
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Veteran Tunisian Ben Youssef scored a first-half treble as Masry overcame Mozambican visitors Black Bulls 3-1 in Alexandria.
The Group D victory lifted Masry to nine points and assured them of the second qualifying place behind table-toppers and title-holders Zamalek of Egypt.
أنا بعملها كدة. 😉🇪🇬#TotalEnergiesCAFCC pic.twitter.com/mOwMWAAx2a
— دوري أبطال إفريقيا وكأس الكونفدرالية 🏆 (@CAFCLCC_ar) January 19, 2025
To qualify, Nigerian contenders Enyimba had to beat Zamalek in Cairo in the final round and hope Masry dropped points, but they lost 3-1 to finish third with five points, one more than Bulls.
It was a profitable day for Tunisian forwards with Seifeddine Jaziri netting twice in the second half for Zamalek, who are seeking a record-equalling third Confederation Cup title.
الخديوي يمارس هوايته المفضلة ⚽️✨#Zamalek | #MostTitledIn20C | #الزمالك_أولًا | #أكبر_قلعة_رياضية pic.twitter.com/bSDZCZzN0m
— Zamalek SC (@ZSCOfficial) January 19, 2025
El Kanemi Warriors, the other Nigerian qualifiers for the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League, were eliminated in the first qualifying round.
The other last-eight place up for grabs in the final matchday went to former African champions ASEC Mimosas from the Ivory Coast.
They outclassed Orapa United of Botswana 4-0 in Abidjan while Group C rivals Jaraaf of Senegal fell 2-0 away to 2023 Confederation Cup winners USM Alger.
Ya Dieu dedans #ASEC pic.twitter.com/zYKsByv2YN
— ASEC Mimosas (@ASECMimosas) January 19, 2025
The results left ASEC and Jaraaf level on eight points -- six behind USM -- with the Ivorian outfit advancing on the head-to-head rule.
Simba of Tanzania won Group A thanks to a 2-0 victory over fellow qualifiers CS Constantine of Algeria in an empty Dar es Salaam stadium owing to crowd trouble there in a previous game.
Yusuph Kagoma missed a first-half sitter for Simba before Denis Kibu broke the deadlock on 61 minutes with a low drive past goalkeeper Zakaria Bouhalfaya from outside the area.
