Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) defending champions, Rangers International FC, have advanced past the visiting Comoros Islands champions, U.S. de Zilimadjou, in a tense match during the first preliminary round of the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League, played at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
The reigning league champions, Flying Antelopes, struggled in the return leg against the Comoros team, who were playing far from their home turf and had to play both legs in Nigeria.
U.S. de Zilimadjou nearly caused an upset against the lackluster Fidelis Ilechukwu Boys, who missed several scoring opportunities, leading to a surprising 1-1 draw. This highlighted the continued struggles of Nigerian clubs in CAF inter-club competitions.
The first leg ended 1-0 in favor of Rangers International FC, but the visitors were more resolute in defending against the Nigerian side.
Despite qualifying by a narrow margin, the coach of the reigning champions, Ilechukwu, has expressed his displeasure with his team's lack of precision and goal conversion.
The NPFL champions, Rangers, have now qualified for the CAF Champions League second preliminary round, thanks to a 2-1 aggregate win over the Comoros Islands champions, U.S. de Zilimadjou.
In his post-match comments, Ilechukwu said, “We are happy to have qualified for the next round of the competition, even though I believe that we did not perform up to our usual standards against the Comoros champions.
"This highlights the unpredictability of football.
"Certainly, I am concerned about our rate of converting chances, but I am optimistic about overcoming this challenge before the next registration window.
"I believe that the start of the new league season will help us stabilize and improve our cohesive play."
"Despite the draw, the Nigerian side progressed to the next round, where they are scheduled to face either St. Louis F.C. of Seychelles or Sagrada Esperança F.C. of Angola, with the Angolan side leading 1-0 from the first leg played in Seychelles last week."
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