Johannesburg: Normality returned to the CAF Champions League on Sunday with Etoile Sahel of Tunisia winning 2-0 at home against Al Ahly Tripoli of Libya 2-0 to reach the semi-finals.
The routine victory came a day after title-holders Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa and favoured Esperance of Tunisia were eliminated and USM Alger of Algeria survived a scare.
A second-leg win for Etoile was anticipated after they forced a 0-0 away draw in the first leg last weekend despite having Brazilian striker Diogo Acosta red-carded before half-time.
Winning the quarter-final second leg secured Etoile a last-four showdown with another Al Ahly, this time the record eight-time African champions from Egypt.
Cairo-based Ahly defeated Etoile in the 2005 Champions League final, but suffered a shock defeat when the clubs clashed at the same stage two years later.
An Egyptian scored the goals that eliminated the Libyans with Amrou Marei breaking the deadlock in Sousse on 15 minutes and adding a second just after half-time.
On Saturday, Ahly of Egypt came from behind to shock Esperance 2-1 in Tunis suburb Rades and qualify 4-3 on aggregate.
USM Alger being held 0-0 at home by Ferroviario Beira of Mozambique was an equally unexpected result, but the north Africans survived on away goals.
Woeful penalty-taking in a shootout led to the elimination of Sundowns, only the second South African club after 1995 champions Orlando Pirates to win the competition.
They were beaten 1-0 away to Wydad Casablanca of Morocco in Rabat, then lost the shootout 3-2 after blazing two spot-kicks over the bar and having a weakly struck effort saved.
USM face Wydad in the other semi-final and the trophy is sure to return to north Africa after clubs from the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa won the last two finals.