{"id":25073,"date":"2025-10-25T18:16:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T18:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kick442.com\/?p=25073"},"modified":"2025-10-25T18:16:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T18:16:08","slug":"omossola-the-hero-as-guy-bukasas-lupopo-stun-pirates-to-reach-caf-champions-league-group-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kick442.com\/fr\/omossola-the-hero-as-guy-bukasas-lupopo-stun-pirates-to-reach-caf-champions-league-group-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"Omossola the hero as Guy Bukasa\u2019s Lupopo stun Pirates to reach CAF Champions League group stage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By Angu Lesley Ngwa Akonwi<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Football Writer,kick442.com-Cameroon<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Saint-\u00c9loi Lupopo have qualified for the CAF Champions League group stage for the first time since 2006 after edging past Orlando Pirates in a dramatic penalty shootout at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Congolese side, led by coach Guy Bukasa, went into the return leg with a commanding 3\u20130 lead from last weekend\u2019s first leg in Lubumbashi. But the South African giants produced a fierce response on home soil, matching the scoreline with goals from <strong>Melusi Nemtajela (39\u2019)<\/strong>, <strong>Yanga Mbuthuma (68\u2019)<\/strong> and <strong>Oratile Appollis (90+5\u2019)<\/strong> to make it 3\u20133 on aggregate.<\/p>\n<p>That set the stage for a tense penalty shootout \u2014 and Cameroonian goalkeeper <strong>Simon Omossola<\/strong> emerged as the hero of the night.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Omossola\u2019s moment of brilliance<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The 26-year-old shot-stopper, who joined Lupopo from AS Vita Club, made a vital save to deny <strong>Deon Hotto<\/strong> from the spot, before Yanga Mbuthuma fired Pirates\u2019 fifth penalty wide to send Lupopo through 5\u20134 on penalties.<\/p>\n<p>Omossola, who had already made several crucial saves during the 90 minutes, was mobbed by teammates as Lupopo celebrated a famous qualification in front of their small but jubilant travelling support.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWe suffered tonight, but we stayed united,\u201d said Omossola after the match.<br \/>\n\u201cI told the boys we just needed to believe and stay calm. This qualification means a lot \u2014 not just to us, but to all Congolese football fans.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3><strong>Bukasa\u2019s men hold their nerve<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Despite being under relentless pressure for most of the match, Lupopo\u2019s organisation and mental strength stood out. Captain Mokonzi, Mavungu, Kimputu, Kambou, and Matukala all converted their penalties with precision and composure, sealing the win that sends the Lubumbashi-based club back among Africa\u2019s elite.<\/p>\n<p>Coach <strong>Guy Bukasa<\/strong> praised his players\u2019 character after the final whistle:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cFootball can be cruel, but it rewards courage. We lost 3\u20130 tonight, but our determination never faded. My players showed maturity and faith \u2014 this is their night.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3><em><strong>Historic qualification<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<p>The victory marks a massive milestone for Saint-\u00c9loi Lupopo, who have long lived in the shadow of city rivals TP Mazembe. Their return to the Champions League group stage confirms the progress made under Bukasa and highlights the quality of players like Omossola, who continues to build a reputation as one of the continent\u2019s finest goalkeepers.<\/p>\n<p>For Orlando Pirates, the elimination will sting deeply \u2014 another continental dream cut short despite a strong home performance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Final score:<\/strong> Orlando Pirates 3\u20130 Saint-\u00c9loi Lupopo (Agg. 3\u20133, Lupopo win 5\u20134 on pens)<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Copyright\u00a92025 kick442.com-Cameroon<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>All rights reserved. This material and any other digital content on this platform may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, written, or distributed in full or in part, without written permission from our management.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>This site is not responsible for the content displayed by external sites<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Angu Lesley Ngwa Akonwi Football Writer,kick442.com-Cameroon Saint-\u00c9loi Lupopo have qualified for the CAF&hellip;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":25076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,141,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-african-football","category-caf-champions-league","category-football"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.1.1 - 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