CAF Confederation Cup
CAF CUP: RANGERS RESUME TRAINING AFTER YULETIDE BREAK
Rangers International Football Club of Enugu have resumed training for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) cup and the forthcoming Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
Rangers’ next opponent in the Confederation cup is Bantu Football Club of Lesotho and the first leg of the second round will be played on Jan. 13.
The club Spokesperson, Norbert Okolie, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu yesterday, saying that the players are back to training.
“We resumed training on Tuesday, Jan. 1, in the evening after the seven days Yuletide break and the most aspect of it was that the players were back injury free.
“Our Confederation cup first leg of the second round against Bantu FC will come up on Jan. 13, in Lesotho and we will approach it with seriousness.
“The players and technical crew were given 24 hours to settle down after the break which ended on Dec. 30, and after that we swear into training because we do not want to underrate any club,’’ he said.
Okolie said that the players have promised to take-off from where they stop in 2018 with more seriousness knowing that any clubs that reached this stage of the competition is not a push over.
“We are expecting a tough match against the club from Lesotho and that is why we are taking our preparation serious to ensure that we made it to the group stage,’’ Okolie said.
He noted that the club still has the ambition of going all the way to the final of the competition to ensure that the country lost slots were restored.
The media officer appreciated the players for their doggedness in the field of play in 2018 which takes the club through to the stage they are in the competition and urged them to put more efforts in 2019.
The club also wishes the people of the Enugu State and its numerous fans all over the country and world a happy return from the Yuletide celebration.
Okolie prayed that God of soccer who negotiated the way for them and the Lobi Stars FC of Makurdi to the stage they are to continue his good work.
NAN reports that Rangers edged out Union Sportive Medinat Bel Abbes (USMBA) of Algeria in the first round on 2-0 aggregate in Enugu after 0-0 score line in Algeria in the first leg.
Zamalek commenced their CAF Confederation Cup journey with a 1-0 win over Kenya’s Police in the initial leg of the second preliminary round held in Nairobi this Saturday.
Veteran winger Abdallah El-Saied secured the win for the Whites with a precise strike from outside the box just a minute before halftime.
The Cairo giants, winners of the 2023-2024 CAF Confederation Cup title, started the match with relentless pressure on the hosts to clinch victory in the first leg and alleviate pressure before the upcoming return fixture in Cairo next Friday.
“The most important thing for us was to win and achieve our target,” Zamalek coach Gomes said after the game.
Hosts Police FC of Kenya could not breach Zamalek’s resolute defense in search of an equalizer.
Despite notable summer acquisitions, Zamalek’s coach Jose Gomes opted for a standard lineup, integrating young talents in lieu of seasoned players.
“We are now stronger than the previous season, thanks to spending more time with the team and preparing to play in the tournaments that we will participate in,” the Portuguese coach added.
Conversely, Kenya’s Police FC squandered a clear scoring opportunity against Zamalek, missing a crucial chance fifteen minutes before the final whistle, dashing hopes of leveling the score.
Kenya’s Police FC earned their place in this round following a hard-fought 1-0 aggregate victory over Ethiopia Coffee SC.
-Ahram
Nigeria’s Enyimba played a thrilling 0-0 draw with Burkina Faso’s Etoile Filante in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup second round tie in Bamako on Friday.
There have been three previous confrontation with Burkina Faso teams and this Friday encounter was the second time that Enyimba had had to face Etoile Filante.
According to facts supplied by Opta Nigeria, Etoile Filante were Enyimba’s first ever opponent on the continent 22 years ago in March 2002. Ever since, Enyimba have played 157 times on the continent; the highest by any Nigerian club.
Enyimba carry their advantage to the return leg to be played on 22 September.
Nigeria’s sole survivors in the CAF Confederation Cup,Enyimba will face Burkina Faso sides, Etoile de Filante in the second round of the competition.
Enyimba drew bye in the preliminary round while the Burkina Faso team reached the second round after eliminating Hafia of Guinea.
Enyimba, second runners-up in the Nigerian League will be attempting to win the Confederation Cup for the first time for Nigeria as they did in the Champions League 21 years ago.
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