Reining Nigerian League champions Enyimba of Aba loss 2-0 at Morocco’s Hassania Union Sport Agadir (HUSA) Sunday night, in the opening Group game of 2019/2020 CAF Confederation Cup to extend the poor run of Nigerian teams internationally in a calendar year.
Karim El Berkaoui strike put the host ahead in the 14th minute, courtesy of some silly defense errors. Keeper Theophilus Afelakhai came off his line in a bid to pick out an El Berkaoui chip searching for Abdelkarim Baadi’s run inside the box.
However, with defender Igho James also running towards Afelakhai in a bid to cut out the cross, the two players missed calculate the attempted pass with the ball slipping through the keeper’s fingers and into the net.
Malick Cisse added the second five minutes through Cisse’s wonder strike from inside the box after some good team play by the Moroccan’s saw Baadi tee up the Senegalese with a superb backheel.
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The Nigerian champions’ only chance of the half came at the stroke of halftime through an Igho freekick that went just over the bar.
They upped the tempo in the second half but couldn’t conjure any threat in the final third. With 20 minutes left they had a half-chance when Victor Mbaoma tried an overhead kick from a poorly defended corner but it went over.
Enyimba are now bottom of Group D after Paradou Athletic Club of Algeria and FC San-Pedro played out a goalless draw in the other game.
However, in the early hours, Nigeria’s other representatives in the Confederation Cup, Enugu Rangers, lost 3-1 at home to Pyramid FC of Egypt.
They are also bottom of Group A after Al Masry of Egypt defeated FC Nouadhibou from Mauritania 3-2.
