One of the four Nigerian clubs playing on the continent, El-Kanemi yesterday crashed out following a 2-1 defeat in CAF Confederation Cup away at Dadje FC of Benin Republic at General Mathieu Kerekou Stadium in Cotonou.
The win came barely two months after the Benin Republic recorded their first-ever defeat of the Nigerian senior national football team, Super Eagles, in the World Cup qualifying round of matches.
The second leg result was 2-1 thus giving the Beninoise a 3-2 aggregate victory. El Kanemi played out a 1-1 scoreline last week at their adopted home in Ikenne.
The Maiduguri side will play no more part on the continent and will now focus on domestic football which will commence next weekend.
Meanwhile, Nigerian football fans are now focused on Rabat in Morocco when NPFL runner-up, Remo Stars of Ikenne, will play AS FAR 9:00 pm Nigerian time today in the return leg of the CAF Champions League.
The Nigeria team carried a slim 2-1 goal advantage into the crucial match and will attempt to do what many Nigerian club sides have not been able to do in that North African city.
The task is heavy, but not mission impossible. Of the five Nigerian clubs that have had confrontations with AS FAR, only the former Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now Heartland) ever prevailed.
In the semi-finals of the old-styled Champions League edition of 1988, the Nigerian side won 5-3 on penalties after a 4-4 aggregate score.
Also in the 2009 Champions League, Iwuanyanwu Nationale ousted the Moroccans after winning 3-1 at home and forcing a 1-1 draw in Rabat in the second round of the competition.
Before then, AS FAR eliminated Stationery Stores in the quarter-finals of the 1968 edition. The game went through three legs
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Stores won the first leg 1-0 in Lagos but lost the return match in Rabat 2-1. The away goal rule was not in operation at the time.
A third match was played in Dakar Senegal by mutual agreement. After the match finished 2–2 when extra time expired, AS FAR won by drawing lots.
This evening in Rabat, Remo Stars’ first task is to avoid a defeat and will also need to score goals and cancel that away goal their opponent scored in the first leg that ended 2-1.