Rivers United from Port Harcourt managed to hold hosts Etoile Filante to a scoreless draw in the first leg of their second preliminary round fixture to start their 2023/2024 CAF Confederation Cup campaign in Cote d’Ivoire.
Rivers United had qualified for the second round after they drew bye in the first preliminary round. It’s a promising result for Rivers United as they look to progress in the tournament.
Etoile Filante on their part reached the second round after they defeated Casa Ziguiqor of Senegal in the first round.
The game which was played at the Municipal Stadium in Yamoussoukro, near Abidjan, ended goalless in spite of the efforts of the two teams to secure a vital victory.
Rivers United will host the second leg of the fixture at the Adokie Amesiemaka stadium in Port Harcourt in a fortnight.
There were also some big upsets in the first leg of the second-round qualifiers of the CAF Confederation Cup on Sunday.
Tunisian giants Club Africain were beaten 0-2 away by Ethiopian minnows Bahir Dar Kenema, putting them on the brink of elimination.
They will need to win the second leg in Tunisia by three clear goals to progress directly without any complications after the setback.
In Brazzaville, Diables Noirs of Congo earned an impressive 2-1 victory away to Zambian club Muza.
The Zambians face a tough task in the return leg on October 1 if they are to reach the play-off round.
Tanzania’s Singida United hold a slender advantage over Ugandan club Future FC after Elvis Rupia’s goal earned them a 1-0 home win.
Meanwhile, Sudan’s Al Merrikh and Angola’s Academica Lobito played out a goalless draw in Omdurman.
The biggest winners on Sunday were Libyan club Abu Salem who defeated Kampala Capital City of Uganda 3-1, thanks to a ruthless attacking display.
The second leg matches take place in two weeks to determine which clubs book their places in the group stage of the Confederation Cup.
