Rivers United defeated title-holders, USM Alger of Algeria 1-0 in the first leg of their CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final clash at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo on Sunday.
Augustine Okejepha is the hero of the game, as he scored the decisive goal in the 10th minute with a clinical strike from the edge of the box.
Despite USM Alger’s efforts to contain Rivers United, the Nigerian team’s physical dominance proved to be a significant factor throughout the game. USM Alger struggled to match the intensity of their opponents who looked eager to score more goals.
However, the arrival of rain after 70 minutes provided a brief respite for the Algerian side, allowing them to regroup and minimise the damage to a single-goal deficit by the final whistle.
The Pride of Rivers now face a massive task in their bid to scale through to the semi-final of the competition following their slim first leg advantage.
Stanley Eguma’s side were eliminated in the same stage of the competition last year by Young Africans of Tanzania. They are hoping to become the first Nigerian football club to win an African club competition since Enyimba defeated Hearts of Oak 2-0 after extra time to lift the CAF Super Cup in 2005.
The second leg of the tie will go down next week Sunday, April 7 in Algiers, with winner over the two legs progressing into the last four.
