Bloemfontein Celtic began their CAF Confederation Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over AS Maniema Union in the first leg of their preliminary round tie.
According to the Soccer Laduma website, Phunya Sele Sele qualified for the Confederations Cup after reaching the Nedbank Cup final against Mamelodi Sundowns, who had already qualified for the CAF Champions League.
Celtic, who only arrived in the DR Congo on Friday – and sent a squad of largely reserve players – came into the encounter on the back of a 1-0 win over Black Leopards in their most recent DStv Premiership clash.
This year’s MTN8 finalists showed no signs of nerves on their continental debut as they took the lead in the fifth minute through Harris Tchilimbou.
Siwelele didn’t have wait too long for the second goal, with Menzi Ndwandwe scoring his first goal for Celtic in the ninth minute.
The two first half goals were enough to secure a vital away win for Celtic ahead of next week’s second leg tie in South Africa.
Should Celtic overcome Maniema Union, they will face either Equatorial Guinea’s Futuro Kings or Nigerian Premier Football League outfit Rivers United in the next round.
Although details of the second leg clash are yet to be confirmed, the match is expected to take place on Saturday, December 5 at 15:30 at the Seisa Ramabodu Stadium.
