The trophy holders Enyimba are through to the group stage

The match was tantalisingly poised at 2-2 on aggregate - with Enyimba having been held 1-1 in the first leg - when Tyankale scored on 86 minutes.

Emeka Nwanna's 11th-minute strike had seemingly given the Nigerians a crucial advantage.

But the Angolans battled bravely, and were rewarded when Avelino Lopes netted on 70 minutes.

That meant the match seemed to be heading for extra time - until Tyankale struck.

Tunisian giants Esperance also made it through - despite a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon's Cotonsport Garoua in the second leg of their final round match.

Esperance's 3-0 victory in the first leg meant they went through 3-1 on aggregate.

Esperance went through despite a 1-0 defeat

Mathurin Kameni's 41st minute penalty was the only goal of a tight game.

And Cameroon suffered a double blow when Canon Yaounde went out 3-2 on aggregate to Senegal's Jeanne d'Arc.

Having been 2-0 down from the first leg, Canon suffered a further blow when Ndoye Ndiaye netted in the 28th minute.

That goal proved to be decisive, as it left too much of a mountain for Canon to climb, despite goals from Elvis Moukake on 34 minutes and Samuel Inobe 15 minutes before the end.

Elsewhere in west Africa, a 3-1 penalty victory over Ghana's Asante Kotoko put Algeria's USM Alger into the last eight of the African Champions League.

Kotoko won 2-0 in regulation time to cancel out USM's 2-0 advantage from the first leg, courtesy of goals by Nana Arhin Duah in the 5th minute and a volley by Yussif Chibsah in the 81st.

Goalkeeper Abdouni Nerouane saved twice from Kotoko's Michael Ofosu Appiah and Stephen Oduro to give the Algerians a 3-1 win via penalties.

Kotoko were the third Ghanaian club to exit the African club competitions after Hearts of Oak and King Faisal were knocked out of the Champions league and Confederations Cup respectively.

Pirates were dejected after their loss

On Saturday, Bakili Bullets became the first Malawian team to reach the last eight of the Champions League after beating South African giants Orlando Pirates 1-0 in Blantyre.

With Pirates having won the first leg 2-1 in Port Elizabeth, Dick Malidadi's late strike ensured Bullets go through on away goals after the game finished level on aggregate.

"To come from a small footballing nation and to stay amongst the last eight teams in Africa is some achievement," Bullets' delighted coach Kinnah Phiri told BBC Sport.

We missed a lot of chances and our hosts utilised theirs Pirates coach Augusto Palacious

Blantyre's Chichiri Stadium was full to capacity after Bakili Muluzi, who bankrolls the Bullets and stepped down as Malawi's president last week, paid for all 60,000 seats in the arena.

The second leg started brightly with Pirates, who were African champions in 1995, enjoying a number of opportunities.

Both Benedict Vilakazi and Joseph Makhanya went close for the visitors but Bullets goalkeeper Swadick Sanudi denied them goals.

At the other end, Fischer Kondowe wasted two fine opportunities when he found himself one-on-one with Pirates stopper Thabani Radebe.

2004 African Champions League

The decisive goal came with just twelve minutes left when Radebe could only parry Fischer Kondowe's cross and Malidadi tapped home the loose ball.

Fans in the Chichiri noisily celebrated the striker's goal but suffered a tense finish to the match as Angolan referee Bernado Combe played eight minutes of stoppage time.

"We missed a lot of chances and our hosts utilised theirs," said Pirates coach Augusto Palacious.

After the game, some Bullets fans took off all their clothes as they celebrated their team's victory.

On the streets of Blantyre, people followed the victors' bus in large numbers as the squad travelled to their hotel in the heart of the city.