Club
Africain brushed aside Rivers United 2-0 in the CAF Confederation Cup Group A
match at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Port Harcourt on Sunday. The victory took
the Tunisian giants to the top of Group A standings with nine points while
Rivers remain fourth with six points.
The home
side started brightly with Bernard Ovoke looking lively for Rivers in the
Africain half in the first 20 minutes.
Africain
were then awarded a free-kick in a promising area in the 28th minute after
Manoubi Haddad was fouled.
Oussama
Darragi then stepped up and forced Rivers goalkeeper Olufemi Thomas into a
brilliant save from the set-piece.
Haddad tried
to send Darragi through on goal in the 38th minute, but Thomas came out to
gather the ball.
The hosts
pressed Africain towards the half-time break and Bolaji Sakin's header narrowly
missed the target.
Nevertheless,
the score was 0-0 during the half-time break following a relatively quiet
first-half in the Rivers State of Nigeria.
Mohammed
Lukman was introduced by the Rivers technical team seven minutes into the
second-half as the home side looked to break the deadlock.
However, it
was Africain, who broke the deadlock through Haddad's powerful free-kick which
beat Thomas to make it 1-0 in the 62nd minute.
Rivers
midfielder Ayobami Asekunowo then found himself unmarked outside the Africain
box ten minutes later and he fired inches wide of the target.
Pressure was
mounting on the Africain and Ovoke outpaced the visitors' defence in the 76th
minute, but his shot at goal narrowly missed the target.
But a late
counter attack led to Mokhtar Belkhiter scoring with a deflected shot - sealing
Africain's hard-fought 2-0 away victory.
Rivers (0) 0
Africain (0)
2 (Haddad 62', Belkhiter 89')
Rivers:
Thomas, Festus, Ojobo, Nweke, Doumbia, Saka, Egbuonu (Lukman 52'), Obomate
(Asamoah 54' Kuemian 87'), Ovoke, Asekunowo, Sakin.
Africain:
Dkhili (Yeferni 86'), Ifa, Jaziri, Abdi, Dhkilalli, Zemzemi (Kchok 79'), Ben
Yahia, Darragi, Chenihi (Agrebi 60'), Belkhiter, Haddad.
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