CAF Confederation Cup: Stellenbosch soar to knock out Egyptian giants Zamalek

The only goal of the contest came in the 79th minute when Sihle Nduli stabbed home an effort from close-range as Stellenbosch won the tie over two legs after goalless stalemate in Cape Town last week.

Steve Barker's disciplined charges played the continental cup tie almost perfectly over the two matches against their more illustrious opponents, first making sure they did not concede a crucial away goal at home before making the most of limited opportunities on Wednesday.

The team from the Cape Winelands started the contest in Cairo with a similar game plan from the first leg, keeping it tight with quick counter-attacks when they had an opportunity.

One such move almost brought reward when Ashley Cupido found space on the right and played in Devon Titus, who did well to cut the ball back to an unmarked Andre de Jong in the box but the forward blazed his effort over the cross-bar.

Zamalek had the majority of possession throughout the match but found it difficult to break down what seemed a Stellies wall in defence led by centre-back pair Ismael Toure and Thabo Moloisane.

Barker made a double change at the halftime interval, hauling off Titus and Genino Palace and introduced midfielder Chumani Butsaka and livewire winger Lesiba Nku.

Butsaka certainly got his foot on the ball more in the middle of the park while Nku troubled Zamalek left-back Ahmed Mohamed Fotouh throughout the second half.

Stellies were content to wait for their opportunity and their patience was rewarded 11 minutes from full-time when the hosts failed to properly clear a long throw and Nku fired in a cross for Nduli to finish.

The goal was wildly celebrated by the visitors as this meant Zamlek had to score two goals in the remaining time to advance into the last-four of the continental tournament.

While there some anxious moments in the closing stages, Stellies largely saw out the game with no real dramas to complete a famous victory that knocked out the defending champions and five-time CAF Champions League winners.

The Western Cape outfit can now look forward to a semi-final showdown against Tanzanian giants Simba, who are coached by South African mentor Fadlu Davids.

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