Enugu Rangers narrowly escaped an upset at the hands of Comoros side, US Zilimadjou, during the second leg of the CAF Champions League preliminary round at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Friday.
The match ended in a surprising 1-1 draw against the Comoros team, highlighting the continued struggles of Nigerian clubs in CAF inter-club competitions.
Despite the draw, Enugu Rangers advanced to the next round with a narrow 2-1 aggregate victory over US Zilimadjou.
The Nigerian side had difficulty containing their opponents, managing only a precarious 1-0 win in the first leg, also played in Uyo, because of US Zilimadjou’s lack of an approved home ground.
Enugu Rangers faced a stiff second-leg test and only scored in the 79th minute through Augustine Kenechukwu. However, US Zilimadjou equalised just six minutes later.
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This result presupposes that the outcome might have differed if US Zilimadjou had played on home turf. Nigeria’s football league is ranked 12th on the continent, while the Comoros league is unranked.
Nigeria Professional Football League champions Enugu Rangers scraped through to the next round. They will look ahead to breaking the group stage hoodoo in the CAF Champions League, a feat last achieved by Lobi Stars in 2009.
Rangers will now prepare to face the winner of the match between Saint Louis Suns United of the Seychelles and Sagrada Esperança of Angola in the next round.
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