Enyimba Lose To Zamalek, Crash Out Of CAF Confederation Cup
The People’s Elephants will now turn their attention to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), bidding to win a record ninth domestic title.
Nigerian side Enyimba have crashed out of this season’s CAF Confederation Cup after losing 3-1 to Zamalek on Sunday.
The two-time CAF Champions League winners went into the Group D match at the Cairo International Stadium needing victory to reignite their hopes of making the next round.
However, the Egyptian giants went ahead in the 29th minute courtesy of Mostafa Shalaby’s header. Seifeddine Jaziri doubled the lead for Zamalek just after half-time.
The Nigerian side pulled one back to reawaken hopes of any comeback all thanks to Ifeanyi Ihemekwele’s goal in the 57th minute. But when Jaziri netted a second goal, just three minutes from time, that flicker of hope for an Enyimba dramatic comeback was quenched.
In another Group D game, Al Masry qualified for the next round of games after a dominant 3-1 win over Black Bulls Maputo. Fakhreddine Ben Youssef scored a first-half hat-trick to give the Mozambique team victory.
The Group D victory lifted Masry to nine points and assured them of the second qualifying place behind table-toppers and title-holders Zamalek of Egypt.
The other last-eight place up for grabs in the final matchday went to former African champions ASEC Mimosas from the Ivory Coast.
They outclassed Orapa United of Botswana 4-0 in Abidjan while Group C rivals Jaraaf of Senegal fell 2-0 away to 2023 Confederation Cup winners USM Alger.
The results left ASEC and Jaraaf level on eight points — six behind USM — with the Ivorian outfit advancing on the head-to-head rule.
Simba of Tanzania won Group A thanks to a 2-0 victory over fellow qualifiers CS Constantine of Algeria in an empty Dar es Salaam stadium owing to crowd trouble there in a previous game.
Yusuph Kagoma missed a first-half sitter for Simba before Denis Kibu broke the deadlock on 61 minutes with a low drive past goalkeeper Zakaria Bouhalfaya from outside the area.
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El Kanemi Warriors, the other Nigerian qualifiers for the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League, were eliminated in the first qualifying round.
Following the result, Enyimba ended outside the qualification spots, ensuring they did not reach the next round.
The People’s Elephants will now turn their attention to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), bidding to win a record ninth domestic title.
