TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo continued an African Champions League revival by forcing a 2-2 draw at Al-Hilal of Sudan this weekend.
After languishing at the bottom of the Group B standings with just one point from three matches, the club from the southern city of Lubumbashi took seven more from the next three outings to reach second spot.
The result means third placed Cotonsport Garoua of Cameroon must defeat Nigerian visitors Enyimba later Saturday to prevent Mazembe qualifying for a semi-finals showdown with title favourites Al-Ahly of Egypt.
If Cotonsport triumph at a ground where they boast a 100 percent African record this year they will finish first and Enyimba second and Mazembe join Hilal on the scrapheap.
It has been a disastrous mini-league for the Sudanese, whose Brazilian coach Ricardo Ferreira boasted after a goalless draw at Mazembe last month that his team would go at least one step further than last year and reach the final.
But all the Omdurman outfit could manage was two points from a possible 12 and hopes of the win they meeded over Mazembe to have any chance of squeezing through were dashed by a late Dioko Kaluyituka equaliser.
Who finishes second behind Ahly in Group A will be settled Sunday with Dynamos of Zimbabwe and former champions ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast and Zamalek of Egypt in contention.
