Nigeria’s representatives in this season’s CAF Champions League, Remo Stars and Enugu Rangers, made a strong start to their preliminary round campaign with impressive victories in their respective games on Sunday, August 18, 2024.
In Ikenne, Remo Stars clinched a hard-fought 2-1 win over AS FAR of Morocco in front of an energized home crowd. Captain Junior Nduka played a pivotal role in leading his team to victory by opening the scoring with a well-timed header off a precise free kick by Sodiq Ismail in the 19th minute.
Despite the visitors equalizing early in the second half, Remo Stars regained control of the game with Nduka assisting Ismail for the second goal and scoring himself with a spectacular flying header.
Meanwhile, over at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, NPFL champions Enugu Rangers secured a narrow victory against Zilimadjou thanks to Uwumiro Frank’s 22nd-minute strike.
While Rangers dominated play and could have won by a wider margin, their efficiency in front of goal was lacking.
After the game, Enugu Rangers coach Fidelis Ilechukwu expressed satisfaction with his team's performance but acknowledged that they must improve their finishing. He said: “It was a game we had control over... We will go back to the drawing board to prepare well for the return leg and are positive in the future.”
The wins for both Nigerian teams have set up what promises to be an intriguing second-leg encounter against tough opponents.
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On another note, El-Kanemi Warriors Coach Aliyu Zubairu pointed out that the lack of adequate pre-season matches was one factor that contributed to his team’s draw against Dadje FC from Benin Republic.
El-Kanemi Warriors hosted Dadje FC on Saturday, August 17 for CAF Confederation Cup first-round match which ended in an unexpected draw after Selasie Bakia put Dadje ahead during the first half before Gimba Ajiji's stoppage-time goal leveled things up.
Zubairu mentioned that due to #EndBadGovernance protest , they couldn't travel out of the state as per Governor's directive risking players' safety leading to their inability to play any grade-A matches which hurt them." By the time the protest ended we couldn’t play any grade A match...it negatively affected us” he told reporters after the game
Dadje’s coach Yaya Kone expressed satisfaction highlighting how they had limited resources but prepared well nonetheless "It’s very important we score and prepare well for the return leg.”
Altogether it is clear that Nigeria's representatives have shown promise at this early stage but there are areas where improvement is necessary moving forward. The coming weeks will provide more insights into how these teams continue competing
