CONFED CUP
Femi Solaja with agency report
Following the two nil win by Nigeria’s only hope in continental club competition, Rivers United over Rayon Sports of Rwanda, former International, Adokiye Amiesimaka
has warned the players to be prepared for a stiff challenge in the reverse fixture of the CAF Confederation Cup playoff tie.
The Nigerian club had brushed aside the Rwandans on Sunday in the first leg match at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, in Port Harcourt to put themselves in the driver’s seat for qualification for the group stage of the competition.
But Amiesimaka, a member of Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winning squad of 1980, who watched the match, has now urged players and the technical crew not to be lulled into a false sense of security.
“First, I want to say congratulations to Rivers United FC of Nigeria for an encouraging performance (on Sunday),” Amiesimaka remarked
“A 2-0 (result) is as good a scoreline as any. Only 1-0 may turn out to be safe, just as 4-0 may not be safe.
“In this game, any margin is as safe or precarious as you make it.
“It is possible to lose at home, but win away. It is possible to win at home and also win away.
“It is possible to win at home, but lose away. It is possible to lose, home and away.
“Each instance has happened before. Any result is possible. To win is simply to make sure you score more goals than you concede,” he said.
The former chairman of defunct Sharks Football Club then urged the Rivers United team to press home their advantage in the return leg by playing to their strengths while ensuring their underbelly is not exposed.
“Know your strengths and build on them. Know your weaknesses and strive to prevent your opponents from capitalising on them.
“In like manner, know your opponents’ strengths and strive to neutralise them, just as you should identify their weaknesses and work to capitalise on them.
“That is what the game is, a contest of wits, whether home or away and as long as refereeing is fair, it shouldn’t make much difference to any solid team with the right attitude whether it is playing home or away,” Amiesimaka concluded.
The second leg match comes up on April 22nd athlete imposing 300,000 capacity Amahoro stadium in Kigali. Rivers United needs to avoid three goals deficit without scoring and be assured of a place in the group stage of the African club second tier club competition.
