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CAF Confederation Cup

Rivers United drawn against Confederation Cup reigning champions, USM Alger –

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Rivers United drawn against Confederation Cup reigning champions, USM Alger

Nigeria’s Rivers United face an uphill task as they have been drawn against defending champions, USM Alger in the quarter-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup. USM Alger will be going into the encounter with intimidating profile as they are not just the defending champions, they also hold the CAF Super Cup after they defeated Al Ahly of Egypt, the winners of the Champions League.

The draw was done on Tuesday in Cairo. But the most intriguing pairing is the Egyptian derby of Zamalek and Future FC. Nigeria’s Dolphins which later merged with Sharks to form Rivers United were finalists in 2005 when they lost to Morocco’s Forces Armées Royales.

In the draw conducted on Tuesday, all four competition champions (USM Alger, RS Berkane, Stade Malien, RS Berkane) avoided each other in the quarter-finals.

One of the quarter-finals pitches Libya’s Abu Salem against two-time champions, RS Berkane of Morocco who are in search of a third continental title since their 2020 and 2022 triumphs.

Champions in the 2009 edition, Stade Malien are back in the knockout stages of the competition and are aiming for a second title when they face Ghana’s Dreams FC who will be looking at causing an upset against their more fancied opponent.

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CAF Confederation Cup Quarter-Final Draw Outcome: 

29 – 31 March 2024:
QF 1 | Modern Future (EGY) vs Zamalek (EGY)
QF 2 | Abu Salem (LBY) vs RS Berkane (MAR)
QF 3 | Rivers United (NGR) vs USM Alger (ALG)
QF 4 | Stade Malien (MLI) vs Dreams FC (GHA)

05 – 07 April 2024:
QF 1 | Zamalek (EGY) vs Modern Future (EGY)
QF 2 | RS Berkane (MAR) vs Abu Salem (LBY)
QF 3 | USM Alger (ALG) vs Rivers United (NGR)
QF 4 | Dreams FC (GHA) vs Stade Malien (MLI)

Semi-Final Draw Outcome:

QF 3 Winner vs QF 2 Winner
QF 1 Winner vs QF 4 Winner
Semi-Finals Dates to be communicated in due course.

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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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