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Ben Youssef hat-trick takes Al Masry to CAF Confederation Cup quarters

rugby19 January 2025 22:47
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A Fakhreddine Ben Youssef hat-trick secured a CAF Confederation Cup quarterfinals place for Al Masry of Egypt on Sunday, as Nigerian involvement ended.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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