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CAF Confederation Cup

Rwandan Rayon Sports Fired Up For Rivers United

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

 

Rayon Sports of Rwanda are confident of compounding the woes of Nigerian clubs in the continent by upstaging Rivers United on Sunday in the play-off for the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup.

With elimination staring at Enugu Rangers which had a ‘must win’ or a minimum 3-3 draw with Zesco United in Ndola, Rivers United looks as Nigeria’s only hope.

The Sports Village Square gathers from Rwanda New Times that Rayon Sports have started preparations for the encounter against “physical Rivers United.”

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The publication, quoting the coach, Djuma Masudi, revealed that the Rwandan team will arrive Nigeria on Friday.

The team had been traing at Stade de Kigali. “The whole squad is in good shape and we want to keep the winning spirit from the national league.

“We want to play good football but the most important thing is to win matches. Our confidence is pretty high and hopefully we can get a good away result,” Masudi reportedly told Rwanda’s Sunday Sport.

He added, “We are doing well for sure but we know it is hard to get good results in Nigeria. We are preparing well for the first leg so that we can come back with hope of qualifying for the next stage.”

“We are going to give everything we can to get a result in the first leg. We will be looking to score but at the same time make sure we keep it tight at the back. Going by some of their videos that we’ve managed to watch, they play a physical game and we have to match them in that aspect.”

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Rayon Sports reached the play-off round after their first round, second leg match against Malian side Onze Createurs was cancelled after FIFA’s suspended the Malian FA.

Rayon Sports are leading Rwanda Premier league with 55 points, 11 ahead of second-placed and defending champions APR FC.

 

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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