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CAF Confederation Cup

ENUGU RANGERS END CONFEDERATION CUP DREAMS

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FC Noaudhibou and Rangers chances of progressing to the knockout phases of the CAF Confederations Cup suffered a blow after they played to a 1-1 draw in Enugu on Sunday to see each move to two points after four matches.

With debutants, Egypt’s Pyramids continuing their fairy tale run in the CAF Confederations Cup, hitting fellow Egyptian side Al Masry 2-0 at the June 30 Stadium in Cairo on Sunday to become the first team to progress to the quarter finals, the two group slots are now destined for the Egyptian clubs.

Ibrahim Olawoyin rescued a point for the Nigerians with a second half penalty after Yasin Elwely had given Nouadhibou a first half lead.

The two sides will have to win both their remaining matches to have any realistic hope of progressing to the last eight with the Mauritanians playing away to second placed Al Masry and at home against leaders Pyramids while Rangers also face the two Egyptian teams in home and away alternates.

With only one point from three matches, Rangers were in danger of dropping off contention for a place at the quarters if they failed to earn maximum points. With this in mind, they went on attack from the first whistle.

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Nnamdi Egbujuo missed a glorious chance in the 13th minute when he put in a poor shot from good scoring range inside the box after being sent through on goal by Emmanuel Madu.

Four minutes later, Kenechukwu Agu forced Nouadhibou keeper Drissa Kouyate into a full stretch save with a well taken shot from range.

For the missed chances, the Nigerian side was forced to pay after 22 minutes when the visitors got into the lead. Elwely struck a brilliant freekick from range, curling beautifully beyond the wall and beyond keeper Nana Bonsu.

Welly came close to doubling his tally just five minutes later, after Rangers lost the ball in a dangerous area in their own defensive third, but the forward’s shot didn’t gather enough strength behind it, keeper Bonsu collecting with ease.

In the second half, Rangers, pushed on by the home crowd surged in search of an equalizer and a winner to put their campaign back on track.

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Their search bore fruit in the 67th minute when Olawoyin’s penalty sneaked beneath the keeper’s arms after Chinonso Eziekwe was appended inside the box by Sidi Yacoub.

The goal was a welcome relief for Rangers who received a huge confidence shot. They however dodged a bullet in the 71st minute when the visitors missed two back-to-back chances.

After losing the ball cheaply on the left, the ball was played to Elwely inside the box, but his shot was saved with only the keeper to beat.

The rebound fell on Jacob Depode who took a shot that deflected off Elwely, but the effort came against the bar.

No effort in the final 20 minutes could bear fruit for any side as they now head into two massive must win assignments.

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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CAF Confederation Cup

‘Nzogbu Nzogbu’ Enyimba enyi as Enyimba limp into Confederation Cup Group stage!

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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.

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CAF Confederation Cup

CAF Confederation Cup: Enyimba target victory after Solid Showing in Bamako

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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.”

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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!

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CAF Confederation Cup

Enyimba’s midfielder, Daga confident of Confederation Cup group stage ticket

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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.

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“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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