Rivers United have officially secured their place in the group stage of the CAF Champions League after a thrilling 3-1 victory over Black Bulls of Mozambique on Saturday.
Finidi George’s men triumphed 3-2 on aggregate in the second preliminary round, marking a historic achievement for the Port Harcourt-based side — their first-ever appearance in the group stage of Africa’s most prestigious club competition.
The game started brightly for the River United, with Wasiu Falolu opening the scoring in the 15th minute. The Nigerian club continued to dominate, and just three minutes before halftime, Maclyn Biokpo coolly converted from the penalty spot to double their advantage.
Black Bulls came out fighting after the break, pulling one back through Moctar Diallo just two minutes into the second half. However, Rivers United sealed the victory when Timothy Zacharia struck in the 76th minute to make it 3-1 on the night.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s other representatives, Remo Stars will take on Mamelodi Sundowns at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday, needing a miracle to overturn a 5-1 first-leg defeat suffered in Abeokuta.
