CAF Confederation Cup
CAF Confederation Cup: Rivers United Hope to Flow Upstream
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Group A of the 2017 Confederation Cup has taken a definite pattern – Each club takes maximum point at home. Nigeria’s Rivers United will definitely wish to sustain the established order as they engage Tunisia’s Club Africain at home on Sunday.
Owing to each club winning at home, all the four teams of the group are locked on six points after the Match Day 4 encounters. Just goal differences separate them from each other.
But Rivers United has managed to score at least a goal in each of the matches. But on Sunday, the Nigerian side will need more than just scoring a goal.
The goals will have to flow like rivers for Rivers United to wash of their goal deficit and possibly be on credit as the group looks likely to be decided on goal difference when the curtain is drawn on the group stage later this month.
While Rivers United hope for a win, the club will possibly wish that the other group encounter of Kampala City Council hosting Fath Union Sports of Morocco will be deadlocked.
That way, Rivers United will with nine points, flow into the top of the log for the first time, while the duo the Ugandan and Moroccan clubs with trail with seven points each.
Tunisia’s Club Africain may then be left stranded at the bottom. But how ready are the Rivers United men?
Media Officer cum Director of Communications of the club, Sammy Wejinya, informed Sports Village Square that the players and their handlers already know the importance of Sunday’s match.
Manager, Stanley Eguma told the club’s official website, www.riversunitedfc.com that there was no room for errors.
“We have to show a lot of concentration in the game and the players have to display commitment.
“It is a big game for us, a make or mar game so the players have to win the game and win with (a lot of) goals.
“It (failure to score plenty of goals) has been one of our predicaments (for some time) now.
“I am very optimistic that with what I have been seeing of the boys in training, the future is bright and I am sure we will have a good game on Sunday.
“I spoke to the players about this and even they admitted that it is a problem.
“For you to win a game, you must be alive for the entire 90 minutes and even beyond.
“To score one goal does not mean a match is over; you have to consolidate and also try to defend the goal. “We have been working on this (weakness) to see that we improve the endurance levels of the players.
“This group is very tough and every club is capitalizing on home advantage to amass maximum points.
“Goals will play a very big role in the final and decisive moments in this group.
“We have been working on scoring goals and we just appeal to Nigerians to keep supporting us.
Rivers United were initially feared to be handicapped on account of possible unavailability of skipper Festus Austin.
But the centre half player has dismissed such. Sports Village Square gathered from the club’s official website that the skipper remarked: “Yes, I will play on Sunday because the medical team has passed me fit to play.
“It is important to play in such a big game and I will be working hard to be at my best on Sunday.
“We played well in the reverse fixture in Tunis but we did not utilize our opportunities and were not careful enough in defence.
“But we have learned from those mistakes and will put things right on Sunday.”
But if Rivers United dreams of goals, a player who could have been relied on, Bernard Ovoke, has not lived up to his billings so far in the competition.
The winger seems to also admit to his under performance so far and promised to improve.
Hear him: “I agree with those who say I have not reached the levels I attained last season but that’s football.
“No two seasons are the same but I promise the fans that I will pick up, work very hard and achieve the objective of scoring 20 goals this season.
“We need the fans on Sunday when we face Club Africain; we need their support.
“We will beat Club Africain on Sunday because the Yakubu Gowon Stadium is our slaughter ground.
“I believe we will win a trophy this year”. The CAF Confederation Cup, introduced 13 years ago when the previous African Cup Winners Cup and the CAF Cup competitions were merged, has been elusive to Nigerian club sides, even though the former Dolphins of Port Harcourt managed to get to the final in 2005 after dropping out of the Champions League the same way Rivers United did this year.
CAF Confederation Cup
Owolabi Blames Overconfidence, Inexperience for Kwara United’s CAF Confederation Cup Exit
Former Nigeria international, Felix Owolabi, has attributed Kwara United’s elimination from the CAF Confederation Cup by Ghana’s Asante Kotoko to overconfidence and lack of technical depth on the bench.
Commenting after Kotoko’s 1-0 victory in Abeokuta on Sunday, which sealed a 5-3 aggregate win for the Ghanaian giants, the 1980 AFCON winner revealed that he had earlier warned officials of Kwara United about the quality and tactical strength of their opponents.
“Do you know that I was in Ghana for an assignment when I watched Asante Kotoko play in the finals of the FA Cup against Accra Hearts of Oak?” Owolabi said. “The game ended 2-1 in favour of Kotoko, and I heard the President of Ghana promise to support the team in their continental campaign.”
According to him, the Ghanaian leader’s commitment reflected a renewed determination to revive the fortunes of club football in Ghana.
“He said the days of poor showing by Ghanaian teams were over and was ready to back them financially,” Owolabi noted.
The former Shooting Stars star added that he had returned to Nigeria with insights that could have helped Kwara United prepare better.
“I told some of those close to the team that Kotoko’s full-backs and midfielders were their engine room, and they needed a tactical plan that would disorganise them for the entire 90 minutes,” he explained.
Owolabi said he also cautioned that the tie was far from over despite Kwara United’s earlier away goals advantage.
“I warned them not to take qualification for granted until the final whistle. Psychologically, the three away goals made them overconfident,” he said.
The former winger lamented that Kwara United lacked a “matured tactician” to handle such a delicate second leg.
“All they needed was an experienced hand on the bench — someone who understands the dynamics of continental football,” Owolabi added. “It’s unfortunate. Now, it’s like medicine after death.”
He concluded by urging Nigerian clubs to attach greater importance to technical preparedness and experience when representing the country in continental competitions.
“Football has become too dynamic. Even the areas you least expect surprises have become success zones,” he warned.
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Kwara United’s CAF Confederation Cup journey came to an abrupt end on Sunday following a 1–0 defeat to Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta.
The slim victory handed the visitors a 5–3 aggregate triumph, sealing their progression to the next round of the continental competition and dashing the hopes of the Harmony Boys, who had entered the return leg needing only a 1–0 win to advance.
After losing a pulsating first leg 4–3 in Accra last weekend, Kwara United were banking on their three away goals to overturn the deficit.
However, Asante Kotoko displayed greater composure and tactical discipline in Abeokuta, frustrating the hosts for much of the contest.
The decisive moment came midway through the second half when the Ghanaians capitalised on a defensive lapse to grab the only goal of the game — a strike that effectively ended any comeback hopes for the Nigerian side.
Despite a spirited late push from the home team, Kotoko held firm, relying on their experience and solid defensive structure to preserve their advantage.
Kwara United’s head coach, Tunde Sanni, had promised an attacking approach, but his side found it difficult to break down a compact Kotoko backline that absorbed pressure and hit on the counter.
The result means the Ilorin-based club’s continental adventure has ended at the preliminary stage, while Asante Kotoko will now turn their focus to a blockbuster next round clash against Moroccan champions Wydad Casablanca.
For Kwara United, the defeat marks a disappointing end to an otherwise promising campaign, but the team will take positives from their spirited away performance in Ghana and look to regroup for the upcoming domestic season.
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Nigeria’s Kwara United are brimming with confidence as they prepare to overturn a narrow first-leg deficit against Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko in this Sunday’s decisive CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round clash at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta.
Despite falling 4–3 in a thrilling encounter at the Accra Sports Stadium last weekend, the Harmony Boys returned home with three valuable away goals — a major lifeline that keeps qualification firmly within reach.
A 1–0 or 2–1 win on home soil will be enough to see them through to the next stage.
In a show of intent, the team arrived early in Abeokuta on Monday to fine-tune tactical plans and acclimatize to the playing conditions ahead of the must-win tie.
Training sessions have been intense and focused, with emphasis on tightening the defence and improving finishing in front of goal.
Head coach Tunde Sanni expressed optimism that his players have learned from the first-leg experience, admitting that some key names failed to hit their stride in Accra.
“In that first leg, some of our top players could not come to the party,” Sanni remarked. “This time around, I pray that everybody plays very well so that we won’t concede. We have to beat them convincingly.”
The coach hinted at slight adjustments to his starting lineup but emphasized that the squad’s overall readiness and team spirit remain strong.
“At least one or two changes must be there, but we are set. We can play anybody. Everybody is ready now and understands what is at stake.”
While aware of the defensive risks, Sanni insisted that Kwara United would not compromise their attacking philosophy, which has become a trademark of the Ilorin-based club.
“We are an attacking team. We don’t play defensive football. We always look to attack while maintaining balance,” he added.
Although the team will be without the passionate backing of their Ilorin faithful, Sanni believes the Abeokuta pitch provides the right surface for his players to express themselves.
“Definitely, we’re going to miss our fans, but Abeokuta has a very good pitch, so we can play anywhere,” he noted. “It won’t be easy, but with hard work, we can get the result we need.”
A victory on Sunday would not only avenge last week’s defeat but also secure Kwara United a high-profile final-round clash against Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca — a fixture that would further underline the club’s growing stature in continental football.
For the Harmony Boys, the message is clear: attack with purpose, defend with discipline, and fight till the final whistle — as the journey to Africa’s group stage continues.
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