Nigeria’s representative in the CAF Champions League, Remo Stars, have been dumped out by South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns after a 2-0 defeat in the second leg of their CAF Champions League second preliminary round tie on Sunday, www.aclsports.com reports.
Following a thumping loss in the first leg, Remo Stars approached the game decided at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria differently, with several players brought into the starting line-up. Ahmed Akinyele, captain of the day, started in the defence alongside Stanley Joseph and Sodiq Oshidero. Haruna Hadi also started in midfield, while Joseph Abah partnered Adam Goita in a two-man attack.
Led by Tiago Conde, Remo Stars sat back and relied on counterattacks as they looked to keep the home side in check. However, Masandawana raced to a two-goal lead at the break through goals from Nuno Santos and Peter Shalulile – one of the goal scorers from the first leg in Abeokuta.
With the tie and fixture seemingly over, the intensity of the game dropped as expected. Sundowns dominated possession, as Remo Stars goalkeeper Obassa Adeniyi made a couple of routine saves in the second half. At the other end, substitute Samson Olasupo flashed his effort wide before Theo Gibson tested Denis Onyango from distance too.
In the end, Mamelodi Sundowns won 2-0 and 7-1 on aggregate to reach the group stage of the CAF Champions League once again. As for Remo Stars, they will turn attention to the Nigeria Premier Football League on Thursday when they face Kano Pillars in a rescheduled match in Abeokuta.
