Following a scintillating CAF Champions League group stage campaign, the final eight teams to have progressed to the quarter-finals have been confirmed, while Khanyisa Mayo and Sead Ramovic bowed out of the tournament.
The 2024/25 Champions League group stage came to its conclusion this past weekend, with 16 teams now reduced to just eight.
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South African sides Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns sealed spots in the quarter-finals, with the Bucs topping their group, while Masandawana settled for second spot in their group.
Notably, Pirates are just one of two teams who ended the group stage without a single defeat, alongside AS FAR. The Soweto giants also claimed 14 points during this phase, the most by any team this season.
Sundowns, on the other hand, collected 10 points from six matches as their campaign ended with a 1-1 draw at home against group winners AS FAR.
Esperance de Tunis headed into the final round of group fixtures having already qualified for the quarter-finals, but that did not stop Elias Mokwana's side from claiming a convincing 4-1 victory over Sagrada Esperança on Saturday.
Elsewhere, Ramovic's side Young Africans SC exited the competition after drawing 0-0 with MC Alger in their final game.
It was a similar fate for Mayo's CR Belouizdad, who finished third in Group C behind Pirates and Al Ahly, despite claiming an emphatic 6-0 win against Stade d'Abidjan.
The final eight teams heading into the quarter-finals are as follows: Al-Hilal, MC Alger, AS FAR, Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates, Al Ahly, Esperance de Tunis, and Pyramids SC.
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By Lukhanyo Mtuta
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