Etoile Sahel of Tunisia survived a brilliant second-leg comeback by

Zamalek of Egypt in Cairo on Saturday to reach a third CAF Confederation

Cup final.

Leading 5-1 from the first leg last weekend, Etoile lost 3-0 to a

Zamalek team reduced to 10 men after only five minutes, but squeezed

through 5-4 on aggregate.

Etoile also had a player red-carded, forcing them to play the final 15 minutes at the Petro Sport Stadium with 10 men. 

The Tunisians, winners of the second-tier African club competition in

2006 and runners-up two years later, will play title-holders Al Ahly of

Egypt or Orlando Pirates of South Africa in the two-leg final.

Pirates defend a 1-0 lead on Sunday in the second leg at a stadium in coastal city Suez, east of Cairo.

Kahraba, real name Mahmoud Abdel Moneim, scored in each half for the

White Knights and a Ghazi Abderrazak own-goal midway through the second

half triggered a tense climax.

Hoping to become only the second club after Mont Cameroon to wipe out

a four-goal, first-leg deficit in a Confederation Cup tie, Zamalek lost

defender Ali Gabr to a straight red card.

But rising star Kahraba put the home team ahead on the night after 11

minutes and he doubled the lead by converting a 55th-minute penalty.

When Abderrazak put the ball into his net with 21 minutes left,

Zamalek needed to score just once more to win the semi-final on the

away-goal rule. 

Etoile, the third most successful CAF club after Ahly and Zamalek, and the only one to win all five competitions, were rattled.

They suffered a further blow as Marouane Tej, who scored two first-leg goals, was sent off after a second caution.

But the club from Mediterranean resort Sousse clung to the one-goal overall advantage despite a late Zamalek onslaught.