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Tag: CAF Champions League

  • How Remo Stars crashed out of CAF Champions League

    How Remo Stars crashed out of CAF Champions League

    Remo Stars Football Club of Ikenne on Sunday at Rabat in Morocco crashed out of the 2024/2025 African Champions League in the competition’s first preliminary round. The 2023/2024 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) runners-up crashed out after losing 2-3 aggregate to Moroccan side AS FAR Rabat.

    Remo Stars lost 0-2 on the night at the Stade Prince Moulay El Hassan in Rabat. The Nigerian side had won the first leg fixture on Aug. 18 in Ikenne 2-1, but they could not withstand the Moroccans’ offensive blitz in the second leg game.

    Two second half goals did the job for the hosts, with Joel Beya who scored their lone goal in Ikenne opening scores in the 53rd minute. With about 12 minutes left and Remo Stars holding out, a penalty kick was awarded to the home side and El Amine Zouhzouh made no mistake from the spot.

    Remo Stars loss meant two of Nigeria’s representatives in club football on the continent have crashed out just one round into their respective competitions. On Saturday, El-Kanemi Warriors Football Club of Maiduguri had been eliminated from the African Confederation Cup competition’s first preliminary round after a 2-3 aggregate loss.

    Nigeria now has only one club each in the two continental competitions. Enyimba International FC of Aba had drawn bye in the opening round into the second preliminary round of the African Confederation Cup competition. Rangers International FC of Enugu had on Friday advanced into the second preliminary round of the African Champions League competition, after a 2-1 aggregate victory in the opening round.

  • CAF CL: Rangers beat Zilimadjou 2-1 on aggregate, advance to second round

    CAF CL: Rangers beat Zilimadjou 2-1 on aggregate, advance to second round

    Enugu Rangers have advanced to the second round of the 2024/25 CAF Champions League qualifiers after a 2-1 aggregate victory over Union Sportive de Zilimadjou of Comoros in Uyo.

     

    The Flying Antelopes, who entered the match with a 1-0 lead from the first leg, only needed a draw to progress. They secured this with a gritty 1-1 draw at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium.

     

    Despite being strong favorites due to their home advantage and recent league success, Rangers faced a determined Zilimadjou side. The Comorodian club defended resolutely in the first half, but Agu Kenechukwu broke the deadlock for Rangers in the 79th minute. Zilimadjou, however, quickly responded with an equalizer just six minutes later.

     

    Rangers will now prepare to face the winner of the tie between Seychelles’ Saint-Louis Suns United and Angola’s G.D. Sagrada Esperança in the second round. Sagrada Esperança are currently in a strong position to advance after a 1-0 win in the first leg.

     

    A victory in the second round would see Enugu Rangers qualify for the CAF Champions League group stage, marking a major milestone for the Nigerian club.

  • CAF CC: Rangers storm Uyo for Zilimadjou clash

    CAF CC: Rangers storm Uyo for Zilimadjou clash

    A strong delegation of 26 players, including coaches, backroom staff, and top management officials from Rangers International of Enugu, has safely arrived in Uyo for the first leg of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2024/2025 preliminary round fixture against U.S. Zilimadjou of Comoros Islands, who are hosting their home game in Nigeria.

     

    The team, led by double award-winning Coach of the Season Fidelis Ilechukwu, is eager to represent the club and Nigeria in their return to continental football after four seasons.

    The players have been undergoing an intense three-week training regime in Enugu under Coach Ilechukwu and his assistants, preparing to face the Comoros league champions who arrived in the country on Wednesday.

     

    Flying Antelopes’ captain, Ugwueze Chinemerem, expressed optimism about securing a good result ahead of the return leg, scheduled for Friday, August 23, at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo. “We respect our opponent but we shall do the needful, by God’s special grace, on the field of play. We have intensified our training since the preparation for the new season started and with the level of motivation in our team, we shall come out with a good result,” he said.

     

    Assistant captain and goalkeeper, Opubo Japhet, shared his confidence in the team’s ability to achieve a positive result on Sunday in Uyo. “I believe we have all it takes to get a good result on Sunday in Uyo.

    Though not much is known about our opponent, we give them their respect as the champions of Comoros but we have our game plans,” he stated.

  • CAF: Exciting matches ahead as continental football begins this weekend

    CAF: Exciting matches ahead as continental football begins this weekend

    The 2024/25 CAF interclub season commences this weekend, with exciting matches lined up for the preliminary rounds of the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup. The first legs will take place from Friday to Sunday, with return legs scheduled for August 23-25.

     

    Qualifying teams will advance to the second round, with first leg matches set for September 13-15 and return legs on September 20-22.

     

    Notably, top-ranked clubs like Al Ahly SC (Egypt), Esperance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia), and Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) are exempt from the first preliminary round of the Champions League. Similarly, the top 12 ranked clubs in the CAF Confederation Cup, including holders Zamalek SC, will bypass the first preliminary round.

     

    Remo Stars will face off against Morocco’s AS FAR in a highly anticipated continental rivalry this weekend, adding to the excitement of the season’s kickoff.”

  • Al Ahly claim record-extending 12th CAF Champions League title

    Al Ahly claim record-extending 12th CAF Champions League title

    Egyptian giants, Al Ahly claimed a record-extending 12th CAF Champions League title after defeating  Esperance 1-0 in the second leg of the final, held at the Cairo International Stadium on Saturday.

    The match victory makes it the fourth time Al Ahly will lift the prestigious trophy in succession.

    Following a goalless stalemate in Rades on May 19, the Egyptians with the backing of their highly vocal home crowd did just enough to  subdue their Tunisian opponent.

    Ahly’s only goal of the match came courtesy of an unfortunate own goal by Roger Aholou after a header by Ramy Moustafa came off the inside of defender’s leg to beat young goalkeeper, Amenallah Memmiche in the fourth minute.

    Played at an electrifying pace under the Cairo stars, both sides had an equal go at each other throughout the encounter, with attack after attack being thwarted by equally solid defending.

    A glaring chance for Esperance came in the 52nd minute when TKA’s low drive almost caught Mostafa Shobeir off guard, who was fortunate to see the strike go inches wide.

    The Tunisians, with momentum on their side almost levelled matters just after the hour mark after the Brazilian duo of Yan Sasse and Rodrigo Silva concluded with Sasse striking a beautiful curler that went just wide off target.

    Ahly almost doubled their lead when Emam Ashour dribbled past two defenders to unleash a potent strike that was fisted away by the keeper.

    Coming on to bring in his experience, the ever-green Afsha almost made it two in the 87th minute with a well taken free kick that came off the bar in what could have been a wonder strike by the marksman.

    The game ended 1-0 in favour of the club of the century who were crowned champions of Africa once again in front of their home fans in Cairo.

  • Enyimba`s loss not a bad start for me – Kanu

    Enyimba`s loss not a bad start for me – Kanu

    The Chairman, Enyimba Football Club of Aba, Kanu Nwankwo has said that the club under him had not started badly.

    Nwankwo stated this at the Enyimba Stadium in Aba on Sunday while speaking to newsmen after the club played a goalless draw with Al Ahli SCSC of Benghazi, Libya.

    Enyimba crashed out of the CAF Champions league with a goalless draw after playing 4-3 away in the first leg with Al Ahli Benghazi in Libya a week ago.

    Kanu said although his team could not score, they played well but would need to return to the drawing board to make the Aba-based team achieve the expected results.

    “We wanted to be at the group stage and do what we had to do but all of us know that one plus one is two but it is not so in football.

    “We could not score a goal to win today, but sometimes it happens and it happens to the best team and the best players and that is football”, he said.

    Kanu promised to sign more players to fortify the team to ensure that the greatness was sustained.

    He said that best teams also lose at some point, stressing that it could have been a bad start if the team had played poorly and also lost.

    The Enyimba FC Chairman thanked Enyimba’s fans for coming out in numbers to cheer the team up, and urged them to continue supporting the team because Enyimba’s tomorrow would be brighter.

    Joseph Atule, one of Enyimba’s star players said the result of the match made the day a bad one for them.

    He, however, promised on behalf of his team mates to work harder to bring laurels to the Aba side through the upcoming national league competitions.

    Also speaking, Assistant Coach of Al Ahli SCSC Benghazi, Wanis Kheir said that the team came with a technical plan to defend their victory and succeeded.

    He said Enyimba was a good team but could not win in today’s match.

    Kheir said that his team would go into more training to ensure they come out better in their next match.

  • CAF Champions League: Remo, Enyimba seek second round qualifications on home soil

    CAF Champions League: Remo, Enyimba seek second round qualifications on home soil

    The coaches of Nigerian representatives in this year’s CAF Champions League, Finidi George and Daniel Ogunmodede of Enyimba and Remo Stars respectively  are full of confidence their teams will scale through to the second round of the competition.

    Recall that both teams lost their first leg by slim margins in  Ghana and Libya respectively.

    Remo Stars lost 1-0 to Medeama SC of Ghana whilst Enyinba surrendered to a last-minute goal from Al Ahly Benghazi.

    Medeama SC travel to Nigeria with a slim advantage ahead of their return leg with Remo at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne on Sunday.

    “We are working towards qualifying for the next round of the competition and we will do everything humanly possible to be in the next round of the CAF Champions League,” Ogunmodede said.

    Finidi, who watched from the stands in Benghazi  said his team should have done better with their defending, asserting that they would bounce back in the return leg.

    “It was a good game to watch but it was unfortunate we conceded those goals, but we will bounce back this Sunday,” Finidi said.

    “Even if we were not there, I felt we should have defended better. We have an opportunity to rectify things in Aba when we play the second leg. We will be much better defensively next match,” he added.

    Enyimba striker Chijioke Mbaoma is also confident that they can overturn the first leg deficit to beat Al Ahly and reach the next round of the competition.

    “We are not satisfied, but we have to be satisfied with ourselves and look forward to the next step. They played and won at home. Now is the time for us to play with our fans and show them what we can do too,” Mbaoma said.

    Both teams will be playing at home and seek qualification to the next round of the competition.

  • CAF Champions League: Remo, Enyimba lose by slim margins

    CAF Champions League: Remo, Enyimba lose by slim margins

    Nigeria Premier League side and one of the representatives of the country in the CAF Champions League, on Sunday lost its first leg of the preliminary round fixture to Medeama SC of Ghana.

    The Ogun based clubside were beaten by 1-0 in Accra.

    Medeama dominated the first leg encounter and would have scored more goals but for their poor marksmanship.

    The home team took the lead through Jonathan Sowah in the 21st minute.

    Sowah beat goalkeeper Kayode Bankole with a superb long range shot.

    Remo Stars worked extra hard to equalise the game in the second half but the host did enough to nullify all their threats as the game ended 1-0 in favour of Medeama SC.

    Daniel Ogunmodede’s side will need to score two goals without conceding in the reverse fixture to scale through.

    The second leg is slated for the Remo Stars Stadium on Sunday, August 28.

    Meanwhile, Nigeria’s second representatine Enyimba of Aba also started on a losing note .

    The People’s Elephant started the match brightly and took the lead after only three minutes through veteran forward Mbaoma Chijioke.

    The visitors’ lead lasted for only eight minutes, though.

    And shortly before the halftime break, it was 2-1 to the Libyans as Imo Obot unfortunately put through his own goal.

    Enyimba, however, refused to surrender the initiative to Al Ahli Benghazi and in the 59th-minute, the nine-time Nigerian champions drew level courtesy of an Eze Ekwutoziam strike.

    Again, Enyimba fell behind in the 75th-minute only for Murphy Ndukwu to scored four minutes from time to make it 3-3 for the George Finidi-tutored side.

    However, the home side struck in the dying minute of the game to snatch victory in the game.

    Enyimba will have another Opportunity to redeem their image next week at the Aba International Stadium.

     

     

  • CAF Champions League: Al Ahly beat Wydad Casablanca 3-2 to win 11th title

    CAF Champions League: Al Ahly beat Wydad Casablanca 3-2 to win 11th title

    Al Ahly football club of Egypt won the CAF champions league trophy after defeating Wydad of Morocco 3-2 on aggregate on Sunday in Casablanca.

    The match in Morocco ended 1-1 but the 2-1 win at home in Cairo ensured Al Ahly coasted home to victory on Sunday night.

    In the 27th minute, Wydad’s defender Yahia Attiyat Allah scored the first goal in the match, tipping the scale in his club’s favor.

    However, in the 78th minute, Al Ahly’s defender Mohamed Abdelmonem scored, bringing the game to a tie, and his team closer to winning the championship.

    Wydad Casablanca earned their spot in the final for the second year in a row after a 2-2 draw against Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on May 20. They advanced based on the away goals rule.

    Al Ahly, on the other hand, reached the final by beating Raja Casablanca in the quarter-finals and Esperance Tunis in the semi-finals, without conceding any goals in their previous four Champions League matches.

    Last year, Wydad AC secured the title with a 2-0 victory over Al Ahly in the final, led by Walid Regragui, who currently coaches Morocco’s national team.

    Al Ahly have now won a record 11 Champions League titles in Africa, a record for the most win in the competition.

     

  • CAFCL: Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro in Tunisia to motivate Plateau United

    CAFCL: Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro in Tunisia to motivate Plateau United

    Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro has arrived Tunis in time for the Make or mar encounter between Nigerian club side Plateau United and Esperance of Tunisia in a CAF Champions League clash at the Stade de Olympique, Rades  on Saturday evening

    Upon arrival in the North African country, Peseiro already met Plateau United head coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu and top officials of the club at the Rao Mada Hotel in Tunis.

    The Portuguese will be giving motivation to the Jos boys in tonight’s Champions League encounter.

    It would be recalled that the Portuguese tactician was also in attendance when Plateau United played Akwa United in a Nigeria Professional Football League game in Uyo last season.

    The Peace Boys head into the game with a 2-1 advantage from the first leg.

    The Jos club will need to avoid defeat to scale through to the competition’s group stage.

    It is the second time Plateau United will be competing in the CAF Champions League.