El-Kanemi, one of the four Nigerian clubs participating in continental competitions, suffered a 2-1 defeat away at Dadje FC of Benin Republic in the CAF Confederation Cup, thereby crashing out of the tournament. The match took place at the General Mathieu Kerekou Stadium in Cotonou.
This defeat comes only two months after the Benin Republic achieved their first-ever victory over the Nigerian national football team, Super Eagles, in a World Cup qualifying match.
The second leg of the CAF Confederation Cup ended with a 2-1 scoreline in favor of Dadje FC, resulting in a 3-2 aggregate victory for the Beninoise club. El-Kanemi managed a 1-1 draw in the first leg, which was played at their adopted home in Ikenne. As a result, they will not continue their journey in the continental competition and will now shift their focus to domestic football, which is set to kick off next weekend.
Meanwhile, all eyes of Nigerian football fans are now on Rabat, Morocco, as NPFL runner-up, Remo Stars of Ikenne, clash with AS FAR in the CAF Champions League. The return leg match is scheduled for 9:00 pm Nigerian time today.
Remo Stars hold a slim 2-1 goal advantage from the previous encounter and will be aiming to achieve what many Nigerian clubs have struggled to do in the North African city. It is undeniably a challenging task, but not an impossible mission. Out of the five Nigerian clubs that have faced AS FAR, only former Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now Heartland) managed to emerge victorious.
In the semi-finals of the 1988 edition of the old-styled Champions League, Iwuanyanwu Nationale secured a 5-3 victory in a penalty shootout after a 4-4 aggregate score against AS FAR.
Similarly, in the 2009 Champions League, Iwuanyanwu Nationale eliminated the Moroccans by winning 3-1 at home and playing out a 1-1 draw in Rabat during the second round of the competition.
Prior to those encounters, AS FAR knocked out Stationery Stores in the quarter-finals of the 1968 edition. The tie required three legs to determine the winner. Stores claimed a 1-0 victory in the first leg in Lagos, while AS FAR won the return match 2-1 in Rabat. Since the away goal rule was not in effect at the time, a third match was played in Dakar, Senegal, as agreed by both teams. After the match ended 2-2 after extra time, AS FAR emerged as the victors through a drawing of lots.
In tonight’s clash in Rabat, Remo Stars’ primary objective is to avoid defeat while also striving to score goals to overturn the away goal advantage held by their opponents, following the 2-1 result in the first leg.
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