While the two teams representing Nigeria in the elite CAF Champions League were knocked out, the two representing the country in the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup progressed to the next round.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how Plateau United and MFM FC failed to qualify for the group stage of the CAF Champions League. The losses mean both teams drop to the Confederation Cup.
However, the two teams originally representing Nigeria in the Confederation Cup defeated their opponents to qualify for the next round.
Enyimba International and Akwa United both progressed to the final playoff stage of the CAF Confederation Cup following the victories they recorded on Sunday against their opponents.
Enyimba, who already had a 2-0 first-leg lead over Energie FC from the Benin Republic, had it tougher in the second leg but prevailed 3-2 and thus progressed on a 5-2 aggregate scoreline.
It was tougher for the country’s other representative, Akwa United, who had to rely on penalty kicks to pull through ahead of Libyan club, Al Ittihad.
Akwa United were beaten by a lone goal in Sfax in the first leg but after cancelling the deficit in Sunday’s second leg tie in Uyo, there were no more goals for either side, thus leading to penalty kicks.
Akwa United’s goalkeeper, Ojo Olorunleke, was the hero at this point as his penalty saves helped Akwa United edge out their Libyan opponents.
Akwa United played four kicks and scored three while Al-Ittihad played five but could only score two.
With this development, Nigeria now has four teams for the CAF Confedration Cup play offs as MFM FC and Plateau United have stepped down from the CAF Champions League.
