Kwara United’s 2022/2023 TOTAL ENERGIES CAF Confederations Cup got off to a brilliant start as they thumped AS Douanes of Niger Republic 3-0 on Sunday evening in the first preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup.
The Harmony Boys made the over 300km journey to their adopted home ground at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena Lagos worth it, as they have one leg in the second preliminary round of the continental second tier club cup competition.
The spirited Kwara side made their dominance in the early minutes of the game count as Samson Paul struck in the 5th minute through a rebound from AS Douanes goalkeeper Omar Halidou, who failed to handle Wasiu Jimoh’s shot.
The Harmony Boys pushed more for a goal and it paid off as Traore Aboubacar handled Samson’s Paul Shot in the 16th minute to hand Kwara Utd a penalty which Wasiu Jimoh slotted into the back of the net.
Not done yet in the first half, Wasiu Jimoh completed his brace in the 40th minute courtesy of an Issa Gata assist, as Kwara United went into the break with a 3-goal lead.
It was more of an uninspiring second half performance from Kwara United as the visitors came out blazing at the start of the second half as they tried to push the Harmony Boys for a goal.
It, however, counted for nothing as Kwara United got the job done, keeping a clean sheet as well as taking a 3-goal advantage into the second leg.
Kwara United’s game-winning player spoke to www.elegbetetv.com after the match about his goal scoring target before the match. “My target was to score a hat-trick, but I eventually scored two. To me, it was a good performance from the team, but we would need to work harder and take our chances in Niger. ” He went further to state that his goal is to play and try to help the team win games.
“I have no preferred position on the pitch. The most important thing is, if I am on the pitch, I always put in my best. “
“In the Niger Republic, people should not expect much from me, but from the team collectively.” The most important thing is to utilise our chances. They should expect a positive result. The target was to qualify to play in the group stage of the competition.
Reflecting on the result, Kwara United coach, Azeez Mohammed, hailed his side for their first half display, noting that the team would work on the lapses observed in the second half.
Mohammed said, “If we can play the whole game the way we played in the first half, I think we can overcome any team. It’s just the second half that we need to work on.”
He described the team as a “work in progress” just as he added that they would improve on their performance despite running away 3-0 winners.
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Ahead of the second leg, Coach Azeez expressed confidence that his team would overcome their Nigerien opponents.
I think it won’t be difficult for me to beat this team over there in Niger. I’ve seen them. I know what to work on and where I’m supposed to improve.
The return leg match will be held at the Général Seyni Kountché Stadion or Stade Municipal de Niamey, Niamey, Niger, the home grounds of the team, on Sunday, September 18, 2022.
The winner, over the two legs, will play Confederation Cup holders Berkane of Morocco.
Kudos to Kwara united, at least a draw will be enough in niger republic, but there is still much work to be done in the next round as they face the defending champion