Cape Town — Midfielder Ruzaigh Gamildien nailed an away-goal advantage for Royal AM after his free kick settled a 1-1 draw with hosts Zesco United at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, Ndola, Zambia on Saturday afternoon.
After the teams played out to a goalless draw in Durban last week, the two-legged tie ended 1-1 on aggregate but Royal AM advanced on the away goals rule.
They will now advance to the final play-off phase which will decide the teams for the group phase of the CAF Confederation Cup. They will be joined by the eight teams which were eliminated from the CAF Champions League. This number includes Cape Town City.
Midfielder Collins Sikombe opened the scoring for the Zambians just past the half-hour mark after Royal AM goalkeeper Xolani Ngcobo made several superb saves earlier on.
Early in the second half, Gamildien scored the equaliser with a free kick that left Ian Otieno, Zesco's Kenyan international goalkeeper, well beaten.
Royal AM were able to sit on this advantage for the rest of the second half and secure passage to the next round.
Meanwhile, at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, Marumo Gallants joined Royal AM in the next round of the Confederation Cup after defeating Madagascar’s Elgeco FC 1-0 on Saturday afternoon,
The 1-0 win came after captain Lehlohonolo Nonyane landed a first half goal.
Last week, Gallants scored a 3-1 win in the first leg and together with their latest 1-0 win, they ended with a 4-1 aggregate.
IOL Sport