BRIGHT STARS AS ENUGU RANGERS REACH CAF CUP PLAY-OFFS

Bright Silas was the two-goal star for Nigerian club Enugu Rangers as they reached the CAF Confederation Cup play-offs Sunday with a 2-0 home win over Algerian outfit USM Bel Abbes.

Silas raised his goal tally in the second-tier African competition this season to three by scoring early and late in the first half in Enugu.

Rangers, whose lone CAF title came 41 years ago, qualified 2-0 on aggregate having drawn 0-0 away last weekend in the first leg of the round-of-32 tie.

The Nigerians, who exited the Confederation Cup at the play-offs stage in their last three appearances, will meet a CAF Champions League round-of-30 loser for a group-phase place.

Moroccan club Hassania Agadir scraped through 2-1 on aggregate after losing 1-0 away to Senegalese academy side Generation Foot in Dakar.

Bun Sanneh netted midway through the second half for Generation, but a second goal that would have taken the tie to a penalty shootout eluded the local team.

Cameroonian hopefuls New Star kept Libyan visitors Al Ahly Tripoli at bay with 10 men in the closing stages to force a 0-0 draw in Limbe and advance on away goals.

New Star were one of four clubs who had a player sent off Sunday in the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League.

Tunisian team CS Sfaxien, winners of the Confederation Cup a record three times, were comfortable 4-2 overall winners despite losing 1-0 to Green Buffaloes in Zambia.

Mike Katiba scored the only second leg goal eight minutes from time in Lusaka after Sfaxien had a player red-carded early in the second half.

Egyptian giants Zamalek were another club to cruise into the play-offs next month despite suffering a second-leg defeat.

The Cairo outfit fell 2-0 away to Chadian opponents ASCOT in N’Djamena with Youssouf Abagana and Mahamat Ada scoring in the closing stages.

But the tie had effectively been won and lost a week ago with nine-time CAF title winners Zamalek establishing a 7-0 first leg advantage.

The Confederation Cup play-offs draw is scheduled for Friday December 28 in Cairo.