Confed Cup: Kwara United, Abia Warriors suffer early exits

Kwara United and Abia Warriors have been eliminated from the CAF Confederation Cup after failing to advance beyond the preliminary round.

Both Nigerian clubs lost their second-leg ties on Sunday, confirming early exits from the competition.

Kwara United faced Ghana’s Asante Kotoko at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta. The Harmony Boys needed to overturn a 4-3 loss from the first leg in Accra but were beaten again, this time 1-0, to lose 5-3 on aggregate.

Kotoko sealed the result in the 54th minute when Hubert Gyau pounced on a defensive mistake and fired past Kwara goalkeeper Suraj Ayeleso. The goal left the Nigerian side with a mountain to climb and they could not find a way back.

Before that moment, Kwara had created chances to take the lead. In the seventh minute, Seun Ogunribide delivered a corner that fell to Aliu Salawudeen after Kotoko’s goalkeeper failed to clear properly, but the defender missed the target.

Kwara kept pressing and Bright Babatunde came close in the second half. He rounded the goalkeeper but was stopped by a recovering defender, ending another opportunity for the home side.

In Bamako, Abia Warriors were undone by Malian side Djoliba. After playing out a 1-1 draw in Uyo during the first leg, the Warriors went into the second leg needing a positive result.

Djoliba struck in the second half to win 1-0 on the day and 2-1 on aggregate. The goal ensured that Abia’s debut campaign in the Confederation Cup ended at the first stage.

Both Nigerian clubs will now turn their attention back to domestic football, with disappointment at their inability to make an impression on the continental stage.

The exits mean Nigeria will have no representation in the group stage of this year’s Confederation Cup. It is another setback for the country’s clubs, who have struggled to leave a mark in CAF’s second-tier competition in recent years.

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