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CAF Champions League: Nigerian clubs missing as 16 teams progress into group stage

Nigerian teams continue to flounder on the continent’s big stage, a sad departure from the greater years of yore.

• January 8, 2021
TOPSHOT – This picture shows the trophy prior to the draw of the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) Champions league at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Cairo on December 28, 2018. (Photo by MOHAMED EL-SHAHED / AFP) (Photo credit should read MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images

Following the conclusion of the first-round, second-leg matches in the 2020/21 CAF Champions league on 5 and 6 January, 2021, 16 elite football teams have emerged for the second round of Africa’s top club championship.

Incidentally, no Nigerian club will feature in the next round as Nigerian teams continue to flounder on the continent’s big stage, a sad departure from the greater years of yore.

Nigeria’s sole representative and former champion, Enyimba crashed out of the competition after losing to Sudanese side Al-Merreikh 4-2 on aggregate.

A CAF release shows the following teams are through to the Group stage of the competition.

First-named teams hosted the second leg and the first-leg results are in brackets, with the qualifiers named.

  1. Wydad Casablanca, Morocco 3-0 Stade Malien, Mali (0-1) – Wydad Casablanca qualified on 3-1 goal aggregate.
  2. Raja Casablanca, Morocco 0-0 Teungueth, Senegal (0-0) – Teungueth through on 3-1 penalties.
  3. Horoya, Guinea 1-0 RC Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire (1-1) – Horoya qualify on 2-1 aggregate.
  4. Al Ahly, Egypt 4-0 AS SONIDEP, Niger (1-0) – Al Ahly through on 5-0 aggregate.
  5. Espérance de Tunis,Tunisia 3-2 Al Ahly Benghazi, Libya (0-0) – Espérance through on 3-2 aggregate.
  6. TP Mazembe, DR Congo 2-1 AS Bouenguidi, Gabon (2-1) – Mazembe qualify on 4-2 aggregate.
  7. Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa 3-1 Jwaneng Galaxy, Botswana (2-0) – Sundowns through on 5-1 aggregate.
  8. AS Vita Club, DR Congo 4-1 Young Buffaloes, Eswatini (2-2) – AS Vita qualify on 6-3 aggregate.
  9. 1º de Agosto, Angola 0-1 Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa (0-0) – Kaizer Chiefs through on 1-0 aggregate.

10 Enyimba, Nigeria 2-1 Al Merrikh, Sudan (0-3) – Al Merrikh qualify on 4-2 aggregate.

11 Al Hilal, Sudan walked over Asante Kotoko, Ghana (1-0) – Al Hilal through on walkover after winning the first leg 1-0.

12 CS Sfaxien, Tunisia 1-0 MC Alger, Algeria (0-2) – MC Alger through on 2-1 aggregate.

13 Petro de Luanda, Angola 1-0 Nkana, Zambia (1-1) – Petro through on 2-1 aggregate.

14 Simba, Tanzania 4-0 FC Platinum, Zimbabwe (0-1) – Simba through on 4-1 aggregate.

15 Gor Mahia, Kenya 1-2 CR Belouizdad, Algeria (0-6) – Belouizdad through on 8-1 aggregate.

16 Note – Gazelle failed to appear for the first leg in Cairo against Zamalek following disputes between the Ministry of Youth and Sports in the country and the Chadian Football Federation, which prevented players and officials from traveling to Egypt. As a result, Gazelle were disqualified from the competition by CAF, and Zamalek won on walkover

According to CAF, the 16 winners advance to the group stage while the 16 losers enter the Confederation Cup play-off round.

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