Johannesburg (AFP) – Kenyan club Gor Mahia had two players and their coach sent off as they edged Angolan outfit Petro Atletico 1-0 in Nairobi Sunday to reach the CAF Confederation Cup quarter-finals.
With the home team down to 10 men, Rwandan Jacques Tuyisenge converted a 58th-minute penalty to settle a fiery clash at Kasarani Stadium.
When Gor were reduced to nine men on 76 minutes after the dismissal of Shafik Batambuze, Petro pressed hard for an equaliser that would have given them a last-eight place.
But resilient Gor survived with every save from Fredrick Odhiambo cheered by a passionate crowd.
Gor are the first club from the east African economic giant to reach the knockout phase of the second-tier African competition since quarter-finals were introduced two seasons ago.
Ernest Wendo got a straight red card after 36 minutes for a waist-high tackle and Turkish coach Hassan Oktay was sent to the stands on the stroke of half-time for dissent.
Brazil-born Petro coach Beto Bianchi was also red-carded for dissent, in second-half stoppage time.
Gor finished runners-up in Group D behind nine-time CAF title winners Zamalek of Egypt, who drew 0-0 away to NA Hussein Dey of Algeria.
Zamalek and Gor had nine points each after six rounds, with the Cairo club first on head-to-head records, Hussein Dey eight and Petro seven.
Hassania Agadir of Morocco, Etoile Sahel of Tunisia, Al Hilal of Sudan and Nkana FC of Zambia were the other clubs to secure last-eight places this weekend.
Record three-time Confederation Cup winners CS Sfaxien of Tunisia and Renaissance Berkane of Morocco booked their places in the previous matchday.
Trophy-holders Raja Casablanca of Morocco were eliminated despite coming from behind to trounce AS Otoho Oyo 4-1 in Congo Brazzaville town Owando.
Raja were pipped for second place in Group A by compatriots Hassania Agadir, who defeated table-toppers Berkane 1-0 in a Moroccan derby settled by a Youssef Alfahli goal.
Etoile finishing second behind countrymen Sfaxien in Group B was expected as they had home advantage over bottom club Salitas of Burkina Faso, and won 1-0 with Firas Ben Larbi scoring.
Twice African champions Asante Kotoko of Ghana were eliminated from a three-club chase for two Group C slots after losing the lead in a 2-1 defeat at lowly Zesco United of Zambia.
That result assured Hilal and Nkana of quarter-finals places and the Sudanese replaced the Zambians in first place thanks to a 4-1 triumph in the top-of-the-table clash in Omdurman.
Waleed Hamid scored twice for Hilal, raising his season tally to six and taking him to the top of the scoring charts with Nigerian Godwin Aguda.
The draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals are scheduled for Cairo this Wednesday with group winners in one pot and runners-up in another.