Al-Ahly of Egypt became the first club to qualify for the African Champions League semi-finals after a dramatic 1-1 draw with Raja Casablanca of Morocco late Saturday.
The Cairo outfit appeared to be heading for their first competitive defeat since June last year when they trailed as the exciting Group A clash entered stoppage time at Mohamed V Stadium.
But star striker Emad Moteab rescued Ahly with an opportunist 91st-minute goal which lifted his club to 11 points, and the leaders cannot be overtaken in the final series of mini-league matches next month.
Raja climbed above defending champions Enyimba into second place with five points, the Nigerian club have four and outsiders Ajax Cape Town of South Africa three.
Enyimba are likely to regain second place Sunday as they host winless Ajax in their south-east fortress of Aba, where victory will give them a two-point lead in the struggle to be runners-up and fill the other semi-finals place.
Raja once again raised their game at home against top-class opposition and seemed set to succeed when Soufiane Alloudi fired the 'Green Devils' into a 65th-minute lead.
Modibo Maiga had a chance to put the match beyond the reach of Ahly in the closing stages as he unleashed a close-range shot, but the ball struck the face of former African Goalkeeper of the Year Essam al-Hadary and was cleared.
Emboldened by the fortunate escape, Ahly coach Manuel Jose from Portugal abandoned a cautious approach and bolstered his strike force with the introduction of Mohamed Aboutraika and Wael Riad.
Riad squandered a chance to become an instant hero when he struck a free kick over the bar in the final minute of regular time and Raja must have thought they were about to avenge a single-goal loss in Cairo last June.
Ahly took a 37-match unbeaten record spanning 15 months into the clash of clubs who have won the competition three times each, but were lucky not to fall behind within 40 seconds.
Moroccan teenage striker Mouhssine Iajour rounded Emad Nahas inside the penalty area only to have his shot deflected into the side netting by another Egyptian defender, captain Ahmed al-Sayed.
Nervous Ahly were in trouble again after three minutes with over ambitious Al-Hadary almost coming unstuck as he tried some fancy footwork near his goal before making a hasty clearance under pressure from Marouane Zemmama.
A close-range header from unmarked Moteab forced experienced Raja goalkeeper Mustapha Chadili into a reflex save after nine minutes of a lively showdown between two of the most successful football clubs in North Africa.
Moteab came even closer to breaking the deadlock early in the second half with a lob over Chadili that trickled millimetres wide while the arrival of substitute Abdoul Fofana added thrust to the Raja attack.
Fofana engineered the opening goal with a run and a perfectly weighted angled pass to Alloudi, whose first goal of the competition came via an unstoppable low shot to the right of Al-Hadary.
A blunder by Raja defender Edgar Loue led to the equaliser as a casual back header was intercepted by Moteab and although Chadili parried a poke at the ball, it broke kindly for the Egyptian who put away his his second chance.
In a Group B match in Tunis earlier Saturday, the all-Tunisia clash between Esperance and Etoile Sahel ended 1-1 with Khaled Melliti giving Etoile an early lead that Amine Letifi cancelled 30 minutes into the first half.
The point lifted Etoile to the top of the table with seven while Zamalek of Egypt have six, Esperance four and ASEC of Ivory Coast three in a pool that has produced seven draws in nine matches.
Zamalek, winners of the Champions League a record five times, host ASEC Sunday in Cairo seeking the three points that will assure them of a place in the semi-finals.