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Sorry we missed your birthday - African Champions League 2018

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    Sorry we missed your birthday - African Champions League 2018

    The group stage finished last night. Lots of familiar names through to this year's quarter finals. Six, indeed, former champions from this century, including holders Wydad Casablanca, Al-Ahly from Cairo, Tout Puissant Mazembe, Entente Setif, Esperance de Tunis and Etoile du Sahel. Another recent champion Mamelodi Sundowns failed to beat Horoya Conakry in their final group game and so went out to the team from Guinea.

    Surprise quarter finalists are Primeiro de Agosto from Angola, who may be the first club to get to this stage of a continental competition to be named after their birthday.
    Last edited by Rogin the Armchair fan; 31-10-2018, 08:18.

    #2
    Its obviously the day to name a football club after - China's August 1st reached the semi final stage of the Asian Club Championship in 1987. They finished ahead of North Korea's April 25th to win their qualifying group.

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      #3
      Primeiro de Agosto duly cause the upset of the quarter finals, getting an away draw in Lubumbashi against Tout Puissant to progress to their first semi-final. They'll face Esperance, while Al-Ahly and ES Setif meet in the other.
      Last edited by Rogin the Armchair fan; 31-10-2018, 08:18.

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        #4
        https://youtu.be/zV82ZLz8Kew

        Genuinely thrilling and action packed semi-final second leg between Esperance and Primeiro. Extended (9 minute) highlights here. Watch it - I guarantee it's the most dramatic match you'll watch all year. Primeiro are 1-0 up from the first leg, and go 1-0 up on the night (away goals count). Esperance (in the Partick kit, but you'll work that out from the crowd and BeiN sports' answer to Jonathan Pearce) don't have any option but all-out attack from then on. They claw it back level on aggregate only to fall behind again when their keeper has a Karius moment. Then, with moments to go ...

        Seriously, watch it. If this is your introduction to the African Champions League then like me you'll be hooked.
        Last edited by Rogin the Armchair fan; 31-10-2018, 08:29.

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          #5
          Cheers for that.

          It is almost as if the commentator was favouring Esperance

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            #6
            Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
            Cheers for that.

            It is almost as if the commentator was favouring Esperance
            You understand Arabic?

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              #7
              Enough to be confident in that opinion.

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                #8
                Final second leg highlights here. Al-Ahly won the first leg 3-1 at home, so the second leg was always going to be about the first goal. First half is a pretty cagey affair but once Esperance score (with virtually the last kick of the half) it's a good game from then on.

                https://youtu.be/OGM-aB-R_gg

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                  #9
                  Do Algerian clubs take part? Only in the handball version of this competition they withdrew in 2013 as there was a club based in Western Sahara taking part under the Moroccan flag.

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                    #10
                    Yes they do. ES Sétif made the quarterfinals this time ‘round.

                    There is a team (Jeunesse Massira) from Laayoune/El-Aaiún in the Moroccan top flight, but they have never qualified for the Champions League.

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