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CAF Confederation Cup

FIVE-STAR HASSANIA AGADIR ON THE BRINK

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Karim El Berkaoui struck a hat-trick as Moroccan side Hassania Agadir thrashed Libyan outfit El Nasr 5-0 at the Petro Sport Stadium in Cairo on Sunday to put one foot into the semi-finals.

The three-goal haul saw El Berkaoui take his tournament tally to seven with Malick Cisse adding a late brace to seal the victory.

 

With the healthy first leg advantage away from home, HUSA head back home with little pressure ahead of the return tie next weekend as they look to qualify for the last four for the first time ever.

HUSA were in total dominance against their hosts who have been playing their home ties in Egypt.

They went into the lead after nine minutes when El Berkaoui’s shot from the edge of the area was deflected beyond the keeper’s reach.

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The Moroccans went 2-0 up just five minutes later, the red hot El Berkaoui scoring his second of the evening.

He tapped home with a low left foot shot on the second bite of the cherry after his penalty following Muad Alamami’s foul on Youssef Alfahli inside the box was initially saved by the keeper.

Nasr were out of sorts and struggled to pose any danger to the Moroccans as they were restricted to playing inside their own half.

They went 3-0 up just 10 minutes into the second half when the dangerman struck a beauty of a shot from 35 yards out after being teed up by Cisse with the keeper flying to his right in vain.

On the hour mark, HUSA had two back to back chances. First, Alfahli’s shot from the edge of the area was turned behind well for a corner by the Nasr keeper.

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From the resultant set piece, El Berkaoui’s header at the near post brushed the outside of the post.

With comfort in their arms, the visitors played well guarded but with no pressure, passing the ball around the pack with ease.

That handbrake approach almost cost them when Muetaz Husayn sneaked behind the defense on the left, but his shot rolled across the face of goal.

That threat seemed to have awoken HUSA’s slumber as they stepped back up with Cisse scoring twice within 10 minutes.

He made it 4-0 with a venomous strike that came off the underside of the bar in the 77th minute to put the game beyond reach for the Libyans.

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In the 87th, he put the game to bed with another brilliant finish, shooting the ball into the bottom left after running into a brilliant Bakary Mane pass from deep in his own half.

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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