Zamalek nearly doubled their lead just before the end of the first half when Omar Gaber sent a cross that the Rwandan defense cleared from in front of the goal, leaving the Egyptian side to settle for a single-goal win that confirmed their superiority in both legs.
At the same time, Pyramids achieved a resounding 4-0 victory over their guests, Al-Merrikh Bentiu of South Sudan, securing their qualification with a 5-0 aggregate score after having previously won the first leg 1-0.
Abdel Rahman Magdy established himself as the star of the match by scoring two goals in the first half; he opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a direct shot following a cross from Mostafa Fathi, before adding the second goal seven minutes later, capitalizing on a cross that followed a corner kick taken by Moroccan Mohamed Chibi.
Mostafa Fathi extended Pyramids' lead with the third goal in stoppage time of the first half, with a shot from the edge of the penalty area that settled into the right corner.
Algerian substitute Nadhir Benbouali concluded the Egyptian team's quartet in the 71st minute, about five minutes after coming on, benefiting from a pass by Karim Hafez to go one-on-one with the goalkeeper and find the back of the net.
In Tunisia, Espérance Sportive secured their qualification ticket after defeating their guests, Libya's Al-Sweihli, 3-1 on penalties, following a 1-0 win in regulation time—a result that allowed the Tunisian side to overturn their first-leg loss, leveling the aggregate score at 1-1.
Imad Faraj scored Espérance's goal in the eighth minute, bringing the tie back to square one before the teams resorted to a penalty shootout, which favored the Tunisian side, allowing them to book their place in the group stage.
Conversely, Sudan's Al-Merrikh exited the competition after losing to Guinea's Horoya Conakry 3-5 on penalties, despite winning in regulation time by a solitary goal in the match held at Amahoro Stadium in the Rwandan capital, Kigali.
Mohamed Qabbani scored Al-Merrikh's goal in the 70th minute, leveling the aggregate score after the first leg ended in a 1-0 win for Horoya in Guinea, tying the teams at 1-1 on aggregate before the penalty shootout decided the qualification ticket in favor of the Guinean side.
