Rivers United suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Mozambique’s Black Bulls in the first leg of their CAF Champions League second preliminary round fixture on Saturday.
The match, played in Maputo, saw both sides create scoring opportunities in a balanced first half but neither could find the breakthrough before the interval. The hosts, however, struck early in the second half when Moctar Diallo found the back of the net in the 50th minute to give the Black Bulls a slim advantage heading into the return leg.
Despite late pressure from Rivers United, the Nigerian side could not find an equaliser as the Mozambican champions held firm to protect their lead.
The reverse fixture is scheduled for next Sunday at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, where Rivers United will look to overturn the deficit and book their place in the lucrative group stage of the competition.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s other CAF Champions League representative, Remo Stars, will take on South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday at the Moshood Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta.
Both Nigerian clubs will be hoping to secure positive aggregate results and advance to the group stage of Africa’s most prestigious club competition.
