South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs have advanced to the quarter finals of the Total CAF Champions League after grabbing a dramatic 2-2 draw with Guinea’s Horoya in Conakry on Saturday.
Amakhosi needed a scoring draw in the least off the away trip to West Africa and Khama Billiat ensured they picked just that, scoring the equalizer 14 minutes from time. The South Africans defended the score to the last minute, ensuring passage to the last eight.
Both Horoya and Chiefs who met in a Group C finale finish with 10 points, but Chiefs edge out Horoya on head to head basis, having scored two goals away from home.
The home side got into the lead at the stroke of halftime when Yakhouba Barry thumped in a powerful header into the net after rising highest at the edge of the six yard box to connect to a Kyei Sebe Baffour corner.
Horoya were gifted for a positive start to the match having been on the attacking front from the first whistle and had created many scoring chances. In the 14th minute, Baffour had a chance but his header from an Alseny Camara cross went over the bar.
They came close off another set piece in the 31st minute but defender Salif Coulibaly headed just narrowly wide. They also had a chance two minutes later when Baffour was sent through on goal but he couldn’t find the back of the net with a shot from close range.
In the 42nd minute, Camara slapped in a decent delivery from the right which found Boniface Haba, but he couldn’t score once again.
But their strength on set pieces bore fruit at the stroke of halftime when off a second consecutive corner, Barry thumped the ball home with a powerful header.
But Chiefs rallied back in the second half and were on level terms in the 67th minute when Daniel Cardoso scored from the penalty spot after a handball inside the box. That lead only lasted two minutes as Horoya went back up from another setpiece.
From Baffour’s well delivered corner, Sekou Camara sneaked in at headed home their second goal. Once again, Amakhosi were not giving up and they were 2-2 level in the 76th when Khama Billiat tapped the ball home off a cross from the left.
At the stroke of 90 minutes, Horoya almost grabbed a sucker punch, but a backtracking Itumelang Khune made a brilliant save to deny the home side.
