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
‘Nzogbu Nzogbu’ Enyimba enyi as Enyimba limp into Confederation Cup Group stage!
It was not easy, but the end justified the means. Enyimba had to go through the lottery of penalty shoot-out to get into the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup on Sunday in Uyo after playing a barren draw with visiting Etoile Filante of Burkina Faso.
The first leg also ended goalless leading to penalty shoot-out as tie breaker. Enyimba won 3-2 on penalties.
CAF Confederation Cup
CAF Confederation Cup: Enyimba target victory after Solid Showing in Bamako
Enyimba FC head coach Yemi Olarenwaju has set his sights on securing a crucial victory in Sunday’s second leg of the CAF Confederation Cup tie against Étoile Filante de Ouagadougou.
His confidence is built on the goalless draw in the first leg in Bamako.
“The job is far from over, and we can’t afford to celebrate yet. The return leg in Uyo will be crucial,” Olarenwaju was quoted by the club’s website as saying.
“We’ll go back to the drawing board, work harder, and prepare for the challenge ahead.”
Olarenwaju praised his team’s tactical edge and discipline, which nullified the hosts’ attacking threats. “We had a clear game plan, and the players executed it perfectly. Our tactical discipline prevented Étoile Filante de Ouagadougou from creating any meaningful scoring opportunities.”
The Enyimba FC boss acknowledged the tough opposition but remains confident in his team’s ability to secure a win at home.
“Étoile Filante de Ouagadougou is a formidable opponent, but we have the quality and determination to get the job done in Uyo.”
As we look forward to the return leg, we urge all Enyimba FC fans to come out in their numbers and support the team at the Uyo Stadium. Let’s make our home advantage count and cheer the People’s Elephant to victory!
CAF Confederation Cup
Enyimba’s midfielder, Daga confident of Confederation Cup group stage ticket
Enyimba’s midfielder, Daniel Daga, has pledged to lead club to victory against Etoile Filante in the return leg of the CAF Confederation Cup second round on Sunday.
The People’s Elephant are looking to build on their impressive performance in the first leg, which ended in a goalless draw in Bamako, Mali. Despite creating several scoring opportunities, Enyimba were unable to find the back of the net.
However, Daga remains optimistic about their chances in the return leg having missed the first leg of the encounter due to a slight knock
“Our resolve is to win and advance to the group stages,” he stated confidently. “We understand that they are a difficult opponent, but we have just one task, which is to win, and that is exactly what we are going to do.”
A win for Enyimba FC would guarantee their spot in the group stages, a feat that would make them the only Nigerian team in the competition’s group phase.
“We know the importance of this match, and we’re ready to give it our all,” Daga added. “We want to make Nigeria proud and show that we’re a force to be reckoned with in African football.”
Head coach, Yemi Olarenwaju, has been fine-tuning his tactics, and the team is eager to execute their game plan.
“The first leg result gives us an advantage, but we won’t take anything for granted,” Olarenwaju said. “We’ll push for victory and secure our spot in the group stages.”
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