Egypt’s Zamalek have become the first side to reach the African Champions League last 16 after their cautious strategy away from home allowed them to hold Angola’s Kabuscorp to a 0-0 draw on Friday.

The Cairo giants went through 1-0 on aggregate, having claimed a narrow victory in Cairo last week which was not enough to allay the worries of their passionate supporters over a possible exit from the preliminaries.

Zamalek will face either Kampala City of Uganda or Zambia’s Nkana FC for a place at the group stage of Africa’s premier club competition.

Kampala and Nkana, who meet on Saturday, played out a 2-2 first-leg draw in Zambia.

Title holders Ahly will be looking to join compatriots Zamalek in the last 16 when they try to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit at home to Tanzania’s Young Africans in Alexandria on Sunday.

Striker Tresor Mputu, winner of two Champions League titles with TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was Kabuscorp’s best performer in the first half, producing a couple of scares.

Zamalek keeper Abdel-Wahed El-Sayed pulled off some fine saves as the White Knights successfully kept Kabuscorp at bay. The visitors could have even gone ahead before the break but a shot from midfielder Moemen Zakareya struck the post.

Kabuscorp had a goal disallowed for offside five minutes before halftime, which prompted some angry chants from the passionate crowd at the 11 November Stadium in Luanda.

Zamalek survived a late Kabuscorp onslaught to breathe a sigh of relief as they chase their first continental title since winning the last of their five Champions League accolades in 2002.

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