Rangers qualify for CAF Champions League 2nd preliminary round

Nigeria league champions, Rangers have qualified for the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2024/25 second preliminary round with a 2-1 aggregate win over Comoros Island’s champions, US de Zilimadjou.  

In the second leg, first preliminary round game played inside Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo on Friday, August 23, Rangers were forced to a 1-1 draw by the club from island nation.

After both sides ended the first half on a goalless note, with begging chances fretted away by the home side, Coach Fidelis Ilechukwu had to make quick substitutions that saw Kazeem Ogunleye and Chiedozie Okorie make way for Ekeson Okorie and Bashir Usman just ten minutes into the second stanza.

The substitution turned out to be an inspired one as Ekeson Okorie, in one of his dashing runs into the box was fouled and the referee wasted no time in pointing to the spot, and Kenechukwu Agu expertly converted for the opening goal of the encounter on the 79th minute to send the fans that thronged the stadium into a frenzy.

Youssouf Mohamed, however, drew the Comoros side level with just four minutes left on the clock as he nodded home an inviting cross that the Rangers backline found hard to defend just a few seconds after they missed a promising attacking move at the other end of the pitch.

Despite the draw, the Nigerian side progressed to the next round of the competition where they are scheduled to engage either St. Louis FC of Seychelles or Sagrada Esperanca FC of Angola with the Angolan side enjoying a 1-0 lead from the first leg played in Seychelles last week.

Coach Ilechukwu in his post-match media meet said, “We are happy to have qualified for the next round of the competition even though when I believe that we did not up our game today against the Comoros champions. This goes a long way to show the mystery of the game of football. Sure, I am worried at our rate of converting chances but I am optimistic of getting over this challenge before the next window for new registration. I believe that the start of the new league season will go a long way in helping us stabilize with regards to cohesive play from my players.”