AS FAR Rabat seal Morocco’s perfect Sunday in CAF club competitions

AS FAR Rabat secured a place in the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup with a 2-1 victory over CO Korhogo, completing a perfect Sunday for Moroccan clubs in African competition.

The Rabat side survived a tense second-leg meeting in the second preliminary round, having briefly faced elimination after CO Korhogo levelled the score in the 54th minute. The Ivorian club’s equaliser came after Youssef El Fahli had given AS FAR an early lead from the penalty spot in the sixth minute.

With the away-goals rule applying, the equaliser left AS FAR temporarily heading out of the competition. But Anas Bach struck in the 83rd minute to settle the tie and spark celebrations at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

The result means both Moroccan clubs involved in Sunday’s group-stage ties progressed. Earlier in the day, MAS Fes qualified for the CAF Champions League, giving Morocco a 2/2 record in the day’s African inter-club competitions.

Morocco’s overall tally had already been strengthened on Saturday, when Raja Casablanca also reached the CAF Confederation Cup group stage after eliminating El Kanemi Warriors.

The outcome was in stark contrast for Cote d’Ivoire, whose remaining representatives all failed to progress and finished the preliminary rounds without a club in either group stage.

AFAD Plateau were eliminated by CS Sfaxien, while ASEC Mimosas and FC San Pedro went out in the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League.

ASEC Mimosas lost to MAS Fes, while FC San Pedro were knocked out by Nouadhibou. With those results, Cote d’Ivoire’s three clubs were unable to join the group-stage line-up, while Morocco celebrated qualification for both of its Sunday contenders.