|
Listen to article
|
Record league winners Enyimba on Sunday night crashed out of the CAF Champions League following a goalless draw against Al Ahli Benghazi of Libya.
The Eastern Updates reports that People’s Elephants as they are called needed a one-goal advantage to advance to the next round of the competition after losing 3-4 in the first leg of the game.
Coach George Finidi’s team, however, was unable to score on Sunday at the Enyimba Stadium in Aba, thus it was not to be.
The Nigerian champions, the first club team from the nation to achieve so, will be ousted in the first round of the event they have won twice for the first time since 2015.
Enyimba were one of two former champions to bow out after the first qualifying round with V Club from the Democratic Republic of Congo the other losers.
Read Also: CAF Champions League: Kanu Tips Enyimba To Scale Through
Former title-holders ASEC Mimosas of the Ivory Coast, Etoile Sahel of Tunisia, FAR Rabat of Morocco, Hafia of Guinea and Orlando Pirates of South Africa secured places in the last-32 round.
The Eastern Updates reports that Enyimba, back-to-back African champions in 2003 and 2004, recently appointed former Arsenal and Nigeria star Nwankwo Kanu as chairman and were confident of making an impact in Africa.
But after scoring three times in the intimidating fortress of Benghazi, they could not manage even one goal at home. A 1-0 win for Enyimba would have sufficed to win the tie.
Unlike Europe, who scrapped the away-goal rule in club competitions two years ago, it still applies in Africa.
Benghazi, whose best Champions League performance was eliminating then title-holders Al Ahly of Egypt in a 2014 qualifier, now face ASEC for one of 16 group place.
Enyimba’s ouster comes less than a day after Bendel Insurance reached the next stage of the CAF Confederation Cup after seeing off Aso Chlef 4-3 on penalties. The two-legged tie had ended 1-1.
