Tunisia’s US Monastir became the first team to progress to the quarter finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup after seeing off TP Mazembe 1-0 to remain unbeaten and move to 10 points.

The Tunisians have won three games and drawn one and have 10 points, creating an unassailable lead to third placed Mazembe whose chances of progressing are now slim.

Mazembe are on three points from their opening day victory over Real de Bamako, and the third loss in a row now complicates their hopes of making the last eight.

Monastir completed a double over the Congolese giants, having beaten them 2-0 in the first leg.

Malian Boubacar Traore scored the lone goal of the match after just three minutes, a lead that they jealously guarded till the final whistle.

Mazembe will travel to face Bamako in the next match, a game they have to win to keep their hopes alive while Monastr will be away to second placed Young Africans in Dar es Salaam in a bid to guard their place on top of the log.

Elsewhere, South African debutants Marumo Gallants have moved top of Group A in the after seeing off USM Alger 2-0. The victory was a sweet revenge for Gallants who lost by the same margin to the Algerians in the first leg 10 days ago.

They are now on nine points, two ahead of second placed Alger with two rounds of group matches left.

Nku Lesiba and Letsie Koapeng scored in either half for Gallants to shine on home turf. They broke the deadlock after just seven minutes, Lesiba coming to the end of a well-crafted counter attack.

Alger tried to build back into the game, but they couldn’t find a way past the keeper.

In the second half, Gallants were as emphatic at the start as they were in the opening half. They doubled their tally in the 75th minute when Koapeng reacted fastest to the ball after two consecutive saves from the keeper.

The visitors tried to turn the fortunes of the game in the final quarter of an hour, but keeper Washington Arubi ensured his side guarded the two goal advantage.