Two Nigerian club representatives – Rivers United and Plateau United gave a good account of themselves in the preliminary phase of the CAF Confederations Cup after posting high-margin wins against their North African opponents from Libya.
While Rivers United mauled Al Nasr 5-0 at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt, Plateau United subdued Al Akhdar 4-1 inside the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
How The Action Rolled
Talking about how it all panned out, Rivers United kept the home fans agog going into the offensive rightfrom the kick-off.
They got the opener in the 11th minute via a penalty kick when Paul Acquah was brought down in the box by the Libyan goalkeeper.
The spot kick was well converted by Ebube Duru in the 12th minute before Kazie Enyinnaya doubled Rivers United’s lead three minutes later.
Acquah made it 3-0 just before the half time and ensured that Rivers returned to the locker room with a comfortable lead.
In Abuja, Plateau United demonstrated their superiority over the Al Khader of Libya.
The Nigeria side scored twice in the first stanza through Mustapha Yuga and Ifeanyi Emmanuel and secured a comfortable lead going into half-time.
The host continued their impressive performance in the second half with Albert Hilary scoring the third goal in the 75th minute.
The away side halved the deficit in the 85th minute before Hilary completed his brace in the stoppage to seal a remarkable victory for his side ahead of the second leg next week.
The winner over two legs will qualify for the group stage of the CAF Confederations Cup.
Plateau United will advance if they avoid a 3-0 loss in the return leg.
In the case of Rivers United, they are as good as flowing into the Confederation Cup group phase except they concede anothe 6-0 loss in the away match.
Their 6-0 loss in Morocco last month is the heaviest defeat ever inflicted on a Nigerian club since the country’s debut in the continent in 1968.
