Chadian midfielder Morgan Betorangal was the hero for MO Bejaia as his superb strike secured victory at the expense of Medeama on Tuesday, and a place in the semi-finals.
France-born Betorangal, who turns 28 on August 25, fired home a screamer on 52 minutes which beat Medeama goalie Daniel Agyei to seal the crucial victory they so badly needed and continue their fairy-tale run in the second-tier continental club championship.
The victory took Bejaia’s point haul to eight, same as Medeama but the former had the edge via head-to-head after holding the Ghanaians to a barren draw in the reverse in the port city of Sekondi last June. Medeama finished five points clear at the top after beating Young Africans of Tanzania 3-1 in the other Group A match earlier in Lubumbashi.
‘Les Crabbes’ needed nothing short of the maximum points to cement their place in the last four on their maiden appearance in the continental club championship, but had to wait for the second half after visiting Medeama stretched them to the fullest.
During a balanced first half, the closest the host came was five minutes before the break but Yassine Salhi shot wide with Adjei at his mercy.
Seven minutes into the second half, the ‘Stade de L'unité Maghrébine’ erupted into ecstasy after Betorangal struck a lone range shot from Sofiane Khadir’s assist that left Agyei with no option to settle matters.
Two minutes from time, Youcef Touati almost doubled the lead after breaking loose from the middle, but his low shot missed narrowly.
In Lubumbashi, a brace from Rainford Kalaba and the other from Jonathan Bolingi was enough for Mazembe with Amissi Tambwe netting a consolation.
Fixtures
Group A
23.08.2016 TP Mazembe (DR Congo) 3-1 Young Africans (Tanzania)
23.08.2016 MO Bejaia (Algeria) 1-0 Medeama (Ghana)
Group B
23.08.2016 FUS Rabat (Morocco) vs Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia)
24.08.2016 Kawkab (Morocco) vs Ahly Tripoli (Libya)