CAF Champions League
GOR MAHIA CAMPS IN GHANA AHEAD OF CLASH WITH LOBI STARS
Gor Mahia have set up a two-day training camp in Ghana in readiness for Saturday’s Africa Champions League first round, return leg contest against Nigeria’s Lobi Stars.
According to Kenya’s Daily Mail, while the team is in Ghana, the club chairman Ambrose Rachier has turned to spiritual inspiration as he prays for an aggregate win against the seasoned West African side.
The game will kick off at 4pm local time at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu.
“We are in Ghana out of certain circumstances because the team missed the connecting flight from Accra to Abuja and the next available one is tomorrow (Friday). We have had to look for a good hotel and training ground in Accra,” explained Rachier.
The Kenyan delegation is expected in Abuja on Friday afternoon, before boarding a two-hour chartered flight to Enugu.
Coach Hassan Oktay and his charges won the first leg match 3-1 in Nairobi last Sunday and can thus afford a draw or even solitary goal loss in Enugu to win the match on aggregate and progress to the group stage of the continent’s premier club competition.
Progressing to the group stage of this competition will attract a Sh58 million cash prize for Gor Mahia, with the tournament winner set to pocket Sh250 million.
“I am confident heading into this match. It will be historic because no Kenyan team has progressed to the group stage since this tournament was rebranded. This task is like crossing the bridge to Canaan and I leave it in the hands of God because we have done everything possible to prepare the boys,” Rachier added.
Oktay
will rely on Rwandan hit man Jacques Tuyisenge who scored the opening goal in
the reverse fixture in Nairobi to lead the attack.
Midfielder Ernest Wendo will miss out through injury, but the technical team
has the in-form Samuel Ontango, Humphrey Mieno, Philemon Otieno and Cercidy
Okello as backup.
Captain Harun Shakava and goalie Boniface Oluoch are also set to play prominent roles.
Meanwhile Benue State Governor has approved the provision of free buses to convey Lobi Stars Football Club supporters to Enugu to cheer on the hosts.
“The decision of the Governor to mobilise massive support for our team serves to boost their morale so as to enable them to overturn the 3-1 defeat suffered in Kenya,” a statement on the club’s social media pages explained.
The Deputy Governor, Benson Abounu will lead the state delegation to Enugu for the match.
Nigeria’s sole survivor into the second round of the CAF Champions League, Enugu Rangers have crashed out of the competition. They lost 3-1 to Angola’s Sagrada Esperança this Sunday in Luanda.
The aggregate scoreline is 3-2 as Rangers last weekend won their home game 1-0. Sagrada Esperança opened the game with offensive and got their first goal barely six minutes into the game when Alexandre Fernando found the back of the net.
The hosts doubled their lead in the 33rd minute through Mussa. But four minutes later, Enugu Rangers reduced the tally to 2-1 to carry an away goal advantage into half time.
Jamie Pimpao got the much needed goal for Angola in the 67th minute to seal the hopes of Rangers.
Sagrada Esperança will now go into next month’s draw for the draw of the group stage.
CAF Champions League 2nd Preliminary Round action resumed on Saturday, 14 September following the resumption of the Africa’s premium club competition on Friday.
It was mostly the travelling teams that secured victories away from home on Saturday, who put themselves in fairly comfortable situations ahead of the return leg next week.
Orlando Pirates had a mental obstacle to overcome in Gaborone against Jwaneng Galaxy, having to face the same side that eliminated them in the same phase of the competition last season.
The former champions secured a 2-0 victory in Gaborone to put themselves in a comfortable position ahead of the return leg next weekend.
Five-time champions, TP Mazembe were away to Red Arrows in Zambia where they also put two past their hosts ahead of the return leg in Lubumbashi.
Mamelodi Sundowns, who played their away match in the comfort of their home stadium against Swaziland’s Mbabane Swallows made use of home ground advantage with a comfortable 4-0 win over their neighbours.
Tanzanian champions, Young Africans secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over CBE SA of Rwanda as Tanzanian giants continue to chase a continental title.
It was a rather tough outing for Moroccan outfit, AS FAR when they travelled to Sudan to face Al Merrikh. A highly entertaining encounter concluded with a 2-2 draw, ahead of the return leg in Morocco.
Egyptian side, Pyramids FC also played out to a draw when they were held 1-1 by APR FC in Rwanda.
Burkina Faso side, Association Sportive des Douanes out up an impressive showing when they edged Algeria’s CR Belouizdad by 1-0.
The first leg of the 2nd Preliminary Round concludes on Sunday, with five interesting encounters lined up, including reigning champions Al Ahly kick starting their title defense away from home.
TotalEnergies CAF Champions League Results & Fixtures:
Friday, 13 September
Enugu Rangers 1 – 0 Sagrada Esperanca
Monastir 0 – 1 MC Alger
Saturday, 14 September
CBE SA 0 – 1 Young Africans
Red Arrows 0 – 2 TP Mazembe
Al-Merrikh 2 – 2 AS FAR
Jwaneng Galaxy FC 0 – 2 Orlando Pirates FC
Maniema Union 2 – 1 Petro de Luanda
Djoliba 1 – 0 ASKO
Douanes 1 – 0 CR Belouizdad
Sunday, 15 September
12h00 GMT | Gor Mahia vs Al Ahly
15h00 GMT | Samartex vs Raja CA
16h00 GMT | San Pedro vs Al-Hilal
16h00 GMT | Dekedaha vs ES Tunis
19h00 GMT | Stade d’Abidjan vs Milo FC
The return leg fixtures of the 2nd Preliminary stage will be played between 20 – 22 September.
-CAF
Enugu Rangers’ patchy form in the CAF Champions League continues as they struggled to beat visiting Angola’s Sagrada Esperance 1-0 in the first leg match played at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.
It was in similar fashion that they played against Union Sportive de Zilimadjou of Comoros Islands who they beat 2-1 over two legs in Uyo.
Rangers’ lone goal was scored by Kazeem Ogunleye in the 80th minute.
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