Nigeria’s representatives in the 2023/2024 CAF Champions League, Enyimba International Football Club of Aba and Remo Stars FC of Ikenne have crashed out of the competition on home soil.
This was after both sides failed to take advantage of playing at home in their preliminary stage, second leg encounters at Aba and Ikenne respectively.
Enyimba were held to a 0-0 draw by Libya’s Al Ahly Benghazi in Aba, Abia, while Remo Stars lost by 3-2 on penalties to Medeama SC of Ghana at Ikenne, Ogun.
In Ikenne, Remo Stars restored parity on 1-1 aggregate when Medeama SC goalkeeper Felix Kyei spilled a corner into his own net.
Remo thought they had got the go-ahead goal in the closing minutes of the return leg tie, only to see their effort chalked off for offside as the match went into the lottery of penalty shootout.
In the ensuing shootout, the visitors netted three of their kicks to advance to the first round of the competition.
While, Enyimba, the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) champions lost 4-3 on aggregate.
Finidi George’s side dominated the game but were let down by their poor marksmanship.
The visitors sat back and put up a spirited display to thwart Enyimba’s attack ending the encounter goalless to the disappointment of Aba fans and Enyimba officials led by newly appointed chairman, Kanu Nwankwo.
The home fans were left with nothing to cheer at the end as a 1-0 win would have seen Enyimba scale through to the second round.
Both the People’s Elephant and Remo Stars will now shift attention to their preparations for the new NPFL season, which is expected to kick off next month. (NAN)
