Rangers fall off leaving Enyimba as Nigeria’s sole surviving representative in CAF

The Nigerian Professional Football League champions Enugu Rangers are out of the CAF Champions League. Rangers crashed out of the continent’s elite club football after losing 3-1 away to Angolan club Sagrada Esperanca on Sunday.
Rangers were eliminated 3-2 on aggregate having won the first leg of the tie one-nil at Uyo a week earlier. With Rangers’ exit from the competition, Nigeria will not be represented in the money-spinning group stage. Nigeria’s other flagbearer at the competition, Remo Stars had been eliminated earlier.

Rangers were down 2-0 in the first half of the encounter in Luanda before a goal by Anayo Ogbonna reduced the deficit just before half-time, bringing the aggregate to 2-2. Rangers would have gone through on away goals had the scores remained that way. However, Jaime Pimpao sent the Angolans to the group stage with a 67th-minute goal to make the scoreline 3-1.
Enyimba International FC, on the other hand, managed to edge Etoile Filante of Burkina Faso in a penalty shootout. Both teams had failed to find the back of the net in both legs of their encounter, leaving their fate to a penalty shootout. Enyimba came out on top 3-2 to advance to the next stage of the CAF Confederation Cup.