Enyimba International, Nigeria’s last hope in the CAF Champions League, were defeated on Sunday by Al Hilal of Sudan.
A goal just after half-time from Mohamed Musa gave Al Hilal of Sudan a 1-0 victory over the Nigerian club in Omdurman.
The hosts won by the same score overall after a goalless first leg.
It was a shock outcome to the last-32 tie as five-goal Enyimba had impressed in the preliminary round while Hilal needed the away goal rule to scrape past modest opponents.
Kano Pillars, the other Nigerian contenders for the Champions League this season, were beaten by Asante Kotoko of Ghana in the previous round.
The only consolation for two-time African champions Enyimba is that they will get another shot at winning a CAF competition this season by competing in the second-tier Confederation Cup.
All 16 first-round losers drop to the Confederation Cup and will play last-32 winners in that competition in two-leg play-offs during October with group places at stake.
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However, the CAF Champions League is a far more lucrative and prestigious competition and Nigerian football supporters will be bitterly disappointed by the failure of Enyimba.
This article was most recently revised and updated 5 years ago
