CAF Champions League: Remo Stars advance to face former champions

Nigeria Premier Football League champions Remo Stars secured their place in the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League after completing a 5-0 aggregate victory over Comoros’ US Zilimadjou.

The Sky Blue Stars, who thrashed their opponents 4-0 in the first leg, sealed progression with a narrow 1-0 win in Friday’s return fixture at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena, Abeokuta.

With a commanding first-leg advantage, Daniel Ogunmodede’s men made several changes to the starting XI, handing starts to Haruna Hadi and Adama Goita. Despite enjoying much of the ball, Remo Stars struggled to threaten in the opening half, failing to register a shot on target.

US Zilimadjou looked livelier going forward and could have taken the lead, but was denied by two fine saves from goalkeeper Obassa Adeniyi.

The second half saw Remo Stars grow into the game, particularly after the introduction of Michael Ibe, Samson Olasupo, and Ibrahim Shuaib.

Their increased intensity eventually paid off when a Zilimadjou defender handled Ibrahim Abubakar’s cross inside the box. Alex Oyowah calmly converted the 74th-minute penalty to secure victory.

With the win, Remo Stars advance to face South African heavyweights Mamelodi Sundowns in the next round. The tie will decide who progresses to the lucrative group stage of Africa’s premier club competition.