Plateau United, MFM crash out of CAF Champions League; Enyimba progress in Confederation Cup

News Express |19th Mar 2018 | 2,642
   Plateau United, MFM crash out of CAF Champions League; Enyimba progress in Confederation Cup

Enyimba International players

Plateau United Football Club of Jos on Sunday crashed out of the 2018 CAF Champions League on a 3-4 aggregate in spite of beating Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia in Kano.

The Nigerian league champions beat the Tunisian side 1-0 in the second leg match of their second round fixture.

But they still crashed out to the Tunisian side who had earlier won the first leg 4-2 in Tunis.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Plateau United went on the offensive from the opening minute of the return leg played at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano.

The home team scored in the 24th minute of the game through Tosin Omoleye to set the tone for an interesting game.

All efforts by Plateau United to score thereafter proved abotive as the Tunisians defended tenaciously and deployed delay tactics.

Khaireidine Madhoui, the Etoile coach, in a post-match interview, said he was satisfied with his team’s performance and they deserved the win in spite of the unfriendly weather.

“With what I have seen today, it means the team is ready to win the CAF Champions League.

“However, I commend Plateau United for their figthing spirit and commitment,” he said.

On his part, Plateau United’s coach Kennedy Boboye commended his players for giving the experienced Tunisian side a good fight.

He said that his team played well even as they failed to utilise the goal scoring chances they had in the match.

He however said they would use the Champions League experience to strategise and do well in the CAF Confederation Cup which they have now dropped into.

Lagos-based MFM FC had on Saturday been handed the heaviest defeat in their history as they were walloped 0-6 by MC Algers in the second leg of the CAF Champions League in Algiers.

The Bernard Casoni-tutored team was ruthless as expected in the return leg played at the Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers.

The host were already 4-0 up in the first half of the game with goals from Nekkache, Walid Derrajada, Sofiane Bedeka.

The icing was put on the cake for the North African team as they put two more goals past hapless MFM goalkeeper Abayomi Folarin.

Nekkache was on song again with a long range pass from Hachoud, while a last gap long range by Ibrahim Amada 2 minutes in the injury time condemned MFM to a scandalous 0-6 defeat.

The Fidelis Ilechukwu-tutored side had earlier won the first leg of the second round by 2-1. They however lost out 7-2 on aggregate.

MC Alger have now joined TP Mazembe of DR Congo, Al Ahly of Egypt, Swaziland’s Mbabane Swallows and Primeiro de Agosto of Angola as qualifiers for the group stage.

But it was not only sad news as Enyimba International Football Club of Aba on Sunday in Calabar qualified for the group stage of the 2018 CAF Confederation Cup.

The former African champions defeated Energie Football Club of Benin Republic 3-2 in the second leg tie of their qualifying round fixture at the U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar.

The Aba Elephants had earlier defeated their opponents 2-0 in the first leg tie at the Stade De Lamite in Cotonou, thus qualifying on a 5-2 aggregate.

Enyimba’s Abdulrahaman Bashir opened scoring in the first minute of the first half and the Benin side equalised early in the second half through Santou Aime.

Enyimba regained the lead through Chinonso Okonkwo, but the Energie boys also made it 2-2 before a penalty kick was awarded to the home team in the dying minutes.

•Pieced together from different NAN reports.









Comments

Post Comment

Thursday, November 6, 2025 3:29 PM
ADVERTISEMENT

Follow us on

GOCOP Accredited Member

GOCOP Accredited member
logo

NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s leading online newspaper. Published by Africa’s international award-winning journalist, Mr. Isaac Umunna, NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s first truly professional online daily newspaper. It is published from Lagos, Nigeria’s economic and media hub, and has a provision for occasional special print editions. Thanks to our vast network of sources and dedicated team of professional journalists and contributors spread across Nigeria and overseas, NEWS EXPRESS has become synonymous with newsbreaks and exclusive stories from around the world.

Contact

Adetoun Close, Off College Road, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos State.
+234(0)8098020976, 07013416146, 08066020976
info@newsexpressngr.com

Find us on

Facebook
Twitter

Copyright NewsExpress Nigeria 2025