Following Rivers United’s 1-0 away win over Congolese side Motema Pembe in their third group stage match of the CAF Confederation Cup on Sunday, Rivers striker Nyima Nwangua has assured fans that the team would focus on winning the 2023 CAF Confederation Cup.
The Port Harcourt side fought hard to earn the victory despite playing with 10 men after defender Ebube Duru was sent off in the first half of the encounter.
The Nigeria Premier Football League champions suffered a 3-0 defeat to another Congolese side CSM Diables Noirs in their first group stage match on February 12 but bounced back to record a convincing 3-0 home win against ASEC Mimosas of Abidjan on February 19 to rekindle their chances of qualifying from the group stage.
Rivers start Confed Cup campaign on strong note
After three matches played, the NPFL champions now top Group B with six points, two points ahead of ASEC and Diables Noirs and four points more than Motema Pembe.
Twenty-nine-year-old forward Nwangwua said the Nigerian champions remained focused and have set their sights on winning the tournament.
“We take each game as they come; we have focus and we don’t want to be distracted. Yeah, everybody will tell you that they want to win the tournament, but I am actually telling you that we want to win each game we play and that is our focus; it’s our determination,” Nwangua said.
“We were determined to win (against Motema Pembe), so, we kept to our game plan. We didn’t allow the red card to change our plans. We talked to ourselves and decided to manage the game properly and at the end of the day we got it right.”
Rivers United will be hoping to consolidate their top position in Group B when they host Motema Pembe in Uyo on March 8 in their fourth group game match and perhaps get another three points to extend their lead on the log.
Olayinka targets Czech double with Slavia
Slavia Prague forward Peter Olayinka has set his sights on winning the Czech league and Cup double before his contract expires in the summer.
The former Gent star joined Slavia Prague in 2018 and his contract expires at the end of the season in June. He has agreed to join Serbian giants Partizan Belgrade on a free transfer in July.
The Nigeria international, who also plays as a winger, has been impressive in the Czech topflight league this season, notching 14 goals and six assists from 28 appearances in all competitions.
The Ibadan-born star is hoping to win two titles for the Slavists and exit the Fortuna Arena on a winning note.
“Our target is to win the double. That is the reward we look up to. It is very important to us. I want to get these two trophies before I leave the club. I would be very happy indeed.”
The Super Eagles striker has registered 46 goals and 25 assists in 174 appearances since he joined the Czech giants in 2018, winning three league and two Cup titles.
This article was most recently revised and updated 2 years ago
