Nigeria’s representatives had varied success on Sunday in the first preliminary rounds of the 2022/2023 CAF Champions League and Confederations Cup at various venues.
Rivers United, the NPFL champions from Nigeria, defeated Watanga, a Liberian team, 3-1 on aggregate to go to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
The “Pride of Rivers” suffered a 1-0 defeat in Monrovia and will now play Wydad Athletic Club of Morocco.
AS Stade Mandji of Gabon were defeated 1-0 at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja for Plateau United to advance to the next round of the champions league.
Haggai Katoh’s lone goal in the 63rd minute brought the match to a 3-2 overall victory. The teams will now focus on Tunisia’s Esperance in the next round.
In the Confederation Cup, the inexperienced Remo Stars were eliminated after falling to the seasoned Association’s Sports of Forces Armed Royal of Morocco 3-2 on aggregate (ASFAR).
The “Ijebu Millionaire,” who had tied the first leg 1-1, conceded a lone goal at the Ikenne Stadium in the 56th minute and was unable to recover, falling short of their first continental goal.
In a similar vein, Kwara United were held to a 0-0 tie at Niger Republic’s Stade Général Seyni Kountché, but that was enough for the Afonja Warriors to advance to the next round against RSB Berkane.
Prior to the game, there were strange incidents when their opponents supposedly hired herbalists and purportedly splashed blood as the Nigerians prepared to take the field.
According to the footage posted on Kwara United’s verified Twitter account, the two herbalists—one holding a keg of blood and the other a goat—performed the act as the players descended from the bus.
The subsequent rounds will be held between October 7 and October 14, 2022.
