Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) sides Plateau United and Kano Pillars were on Saturday eliminated from their respective continental competitions after both sides failed to overturn first leg deficits in their second leg ties.
In the Total CAF Champions League, Plateau United, playing at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in Dar-es-Salaam held hosts Simba Sports Club of Tanzania to a 0-0 draw which proved insufficient to see the team through.
United were forced to play without the duo of Sunday Adetunji and Ibrahim Abubakar Babawo who were pulled out in the last minute for testing positive to Covid-19. In spite of their endeavour, United were made to rue their 0-1 loss at home to the Tanzanians last weekend as they exit the competition 0-1 on aggregate.
In the Total CAF Confederation Cup, illustrious Nothern Nigeria jewel Kano Pillars fell short at the first hurdle of continental engagement for the second year running after bowing out to Senegalese side ASC Diaraf.
Pillars lost the first leg 1-3 one week ago in Senegal but failed to overturn the deficit after playing out a 0-0 draw with their visitors at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna on Saturday.
In fact, it was the visitors who had the best scoring chances in the game, twice catching out the Pillars defence on the break but their strikers inexplicably failed to put the chances away..
Pillars striker David Ebuka Odenigbo was denied late on by the goalkeeper while centre referee also denied him what looked like a stonewall penalty in the dying moments. In the end though, Pillars were eliminated 1-3 on aggregate.
The two remaining NPFL sides in CAF competitions will negotiate their second leg ties on Sunday. Enyimba will defend a 1-0 first leg lead against Rahimo FC of Burkina Faso in Aba while Rivers United will attempt to overturn a 1-2 deficit against Futuro Kings of Equatorial Guinea in Port Harcourt.
