Group BZamalek 1 - 1 Chelsea TP Mazembe 2 - 0 Al AhlyGroup AESS de Tunis 1 - 0 Sunshine StarsLUBUMBASHI - The teams to compete in the CAF Champions League semi-final stage are known after the penultimate matchday in the eight-team group stage. The big winners were TP Mazembe, who beat Al Ahly to join the event’s most successful club in advancing from Group B. The pair are still jockeying to finish top of the table in order to avoid defending champions Esperance, who secured Group A with a 1-0 victory over Sunshine Stars. The debutante Nigerians will be the outsiders in the last four, which is played home-and-away in October.Ahly knew they had qualified for the semi-finals going into Sunday’s match after Berekum Chelsea’s 1-1 draw at Zamalek on Saturday, and coach Hossam El Badry changed up his line-up to avoid possible suspensions. In the formidable Stade TP Mazembe, a shaky performance by the six-time champions was punished by the Congolese, who now top the table in the head-to-head tiebreaker with both teams on ten points. Rising forward Mbwana Samata continued to perform for the Crows, scoring his fourth goal in four matches against Egyptian opposition in the last two months. In truth, it was a loose opener, with the Tanzanian running through the ball as the goalkeeper bobbled his catch. There were no complaints from neutrals about the quality of the second goal, which came near the hour-mark after some fancy footwork and a clever pass by Tresor Mabi Mputu set up Deo Kanda. Mputu has been in rampant form, and Mazembe have won three matches on the trot. They seem to be hitting stride in their quest for a third title in four seasons, but they have a tough closing match at Chelsea. Ahly, who will be favoured against Cairo neighbours Zamalek in a fortnight, are desperate to avoid Esperance until the final as the Blood and Gold have had a hand in knocking the Red Devils out of the last two events.
