Cape Town City defeated Otoho d'Oyo 2-0 on aggregate and secured their spot in the CAF Champions League second preliminary round on Sunday evening.
Veteran Mpho Makola, Keanu Cupido and Wayde Lekay were restored by the Citizens from the team that won the first leg last weekend in Cape Town.
It was no easy start for the DStv Premiership outfit where Otoho floated numerous balls into the six-yard area and forced City goalkeeper Darren Keet to stay alert and smother it all.
Keet was called to further action minutes before the half-hour mark with a brilliant save from a one-on-one situation that the host orchestrated in the final third of the field.
The Citizens survived the threats and came alive late in the half when Thabo Nodada slammed the crossbar from a ball in the area by captain Thamsanqa Mkhize.
With the second half underway, no substitutions from the respective benches followed and opted to stay with the initial playing contingent that did duty in the first spell.
A massive four changes from the Citizens however came midway following the second half in Jordan Bender, Thato Mokeke, Khanyisa Mayo and Venezuelan Darwin Gonzalez.
The Citizens stayed tight and compact during the closing phases before Bender had a powerful drive from a clever angle forced onto the woodwork by the opposite goalkeeper.
This mechanism continued for the Citizens where at the end they held their nerve and earned passage to the first round of the Champions League too.
Confirmed line-ups:
Cape Town City: Keet, Mkhize, Cupido, Fasika, Fielies, Van Heerden, Makola, Nodada, Ambina, Lekay, Martin
Subs: Mpandle, Mdantsane, Mokhuoane, Mayo, Goedeman, Mokeke, Bender, Darwin
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