Stellenbosch FC made history when they reached the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup for very first time.
Stellenbosch beat AS Vita 3-1 on aggregate after coming away with a 1-1 draw in their second-leg clash in the second preliminary round in Kinshasa on Sunday.
Off-season signing Lehlohonolo Mojela scored the vital away goal for 10-men Stellenbosch in the 71st minute to give them a bit of cushion heading into the final quarter.
Stellenbosch earlier had a player dismissed shortly before halftime when defender Ismael Toure was shown a second yellow card.
AS Vita were awarded a penalty in the 90th minute, which was converted to make it 1-1 on the day. Stellenbosch were then shocked to see eight minutes of stoppage time on the board, but the Winelands team held on to put their name in the hat for the group-stage draw.
Last week, Stellenbosch defeated AS Vita 2-0 in their first-leg clash in Cape Town, which resulted in their coach Abdeslam Ouaddou quitting the team after they only arrived for the match a few hours before kickoff following the long trip from the Congo.
Stellenbosch FC join Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns as South Africa’s only representatives in CAF club competitions. Sekhukhune United were earlier knocked out in the Confederation Cup qualifiers.
Sundowns will make their 10th consecutive appearance in the group stage of the CAF Champions League after thumping Mbabane Swallows 8-0 aggregate over their two second-round qualifying matches.
Meanwhile, Monnapule Saleng scored a late winner to give Pirates a 1-0 win over Jwaneng Galaxy in their second-match at Orlando Stadium on Saturday to secure their spot in the group stages.
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