Results
- Stade Malien 2-0 Sundowns [Agg: 2-3]
- Al Hilal 0-1 RS Berkane [Agg: 1-2]
Denis Onyango’s Mamelodi Sundowns reached the semi-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League despite a 2-0 loss to Stade Malien in Bamako on Sunday.
Having won the first leg 3-0 in South Africa, Sundowns found themselves 2-0 down at halftime but held on till the final whistle in a closely contested match.
Tadeus Nkenge and Haman Mandjan scored the goals for the Mali side who also had another strike denied by VAR.
Sundowns finished the game with a player less after left back Aubrey Modiba was sent off for a bad challenge in the second half.
In Kigali, Morocco’s RS Berkane edged Al Hilal of Sudan 1-0 with a late goal that saw them qualify for the semis 2-1 on aggregate.
The game was not short on drama as Al Hilal had a goal chalked off by VAR midway the second half and instead, a penalty awarded to RS Berkane for an earlier infringement in the build up.
Munir Chouiar stepped up to take the spot-kick in the 61st minute, but his effort was saved, allowing Al-Hilal to stay level and regain confidence as the match progressed.
However, the forward made amends in the 93rd minute when he latched on to Zinedine Machach pass to score the winner that sent RS Berkane to the last four.
The two join Tunisia’s Esperance and Morocco’s FAR Rabat who eliminated Egyptian sides Al Ahly and Pyramids respectively.
Sundowns will now battle Esperance in a two legged semi-final next month while another semi will see the two Moroccan sides face off.