Two survive, two fall: Rangers and El-Kanemi keep Nigeria alive as Rivers United and Shooting Stars crash out of CAF competitions

Nigeria recorded mixed results in the CAF inter-club competitions at the weekend as Rangers International and El-Kanemi Warriors advanced to the next round, while Rivers United and Shooting Stars saw their continental campaigns come to an end.

Rangers produced the most spectacular qualification of the Nigerian contingent, beating Benin Republic champions AS Sobemap 5-4 on penalties in Lomé, after another 1-1 draw left the CAF Champions League preliminary round tie tied at 2-2 on aggregate.

The Flying Antelopes drew the first leg 1-1 in Abeokuta and traveled to Lomé knowing there was little room for error.

Rangers took the lead again in the second leg, but Sobemap responded in the second half to restore parity and eventually force the contest to a penalty shootout.

The Nigerian champions initially missed their first shot in the penalty shoot-out, but recovered impressively, converting their next five attempts, while Sobemap missed with two of theirs and Rangers won 5-4.

The reward for Rangers is a much tougher task against Algerian champions MC Alger in the second and final preliminary round of the Champions League.

MC Alger booked their place after eliminating Niger’s ASN Nigelec 5-0 on aggregate, providing a major test for Rangers in their battle to reach the lucrative group stage.

While Rangers survived a heartbreaking penalty shootout, El-Kanemi Warriors progressed in contrasting circumstances despite suffering defeat in the second leg.

The Maiduguri team lost 1-0 away to UDIB of Guinea-Bissau, but their 3-0 lead in the first leg was enough to qualify 3-1 on aggregate.

El-Kanemi had firmly controlled the tie in Nigeria, with two goals from Nnamdi Mejuobi and another from Dayo Wahab in their emphatic victory in the first leg.

UDIB managed to reduce the deficit in the second leg, but could not reverse the damage, allowing El-Kanemi to continue its path in the CAF Confederations Cup.

The story was considerably different for Shooting Stars.

The Ibadan club traveled to Tunisia with a 1-0 lead over CS Sfaxien after Lucky Emmanuel’s first-half goal secured victory in the first leg in Abeokuta.

However, the lead disappeared in Tunisia when Sfaxien scored two unanswered goals to claim a 2-0 victory and advance 2-1 on aggregate.

The result marked a painful end to the Shooting Stars’ first continental campaign in 27 years, despite going into the decisive second leg with qualification firmly in their hands.

Rivers United also suffered heartbreak in the CAF Champions League.

The Port Harcourt team had recorded an encouraging 1-1 draw against San Pedro in Ivory Coast in the first leg, putting themselves in a promising position heading into the second leg in Nigeria.

But San Pedro surprised their hosts by taking a two-goal lead.

Rivers United responded with a determined response, scoring twice to rescue a 2-2 draw, but their comeback ultimately proved insufficient and the Ivorian team secured passage to the next round.

The weekend therefore leaves Nigeria with two clubs still standing on the continent.

Rangers will continue to seek a place in the group stage of the CAF Champions League, while El-Kanemi remains alive in the Confederation Cup.

For Rivers United and Shooting Stars, attention will now return to the domestic competition after their disappointing initial exits.

For the Rangers and El-Kanemi, however, the continental journey continues, although much greater challenges await.

Nigeria began the weekend with four clubs fighting to keep their African ambitions alive.

By the end, the number had been halved: Rangers survived a penalty shootout thriller, El-Kanemi protected their first-leg lead, while Rivers United and Shooting Stars were left counting the cost of painful eliminations.