El-Kanemi Warriors pulled level seven minutes from time to hold Raja Casablanca 2-2 in Ikenne. The tie now heads to Casablanca on Friday with a group stage place at stake.
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El-Kanemi Warriors held Moroccan heavyweights Raja Casablanca to a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round tie at the Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne on Sunday. Nnamdi Mejuobi’s equaliser seven minutes from time kept the Nigerian side level ahead of the return leg.
The result is a useful one for a club that earned this tie the hard way. El-Kanemi, the Federation Cup holders, beat UDIB of Guinea-Bissau 3-1 on aggregate despite losing the second leg 1-0. Win this round and they’re in the group stage.
The hosts started brightly and went ahead in the sixth minute after controlling the opening exchanges. Raja needed until the 23rd minute to respond, with Mohammad Abu Zrayq levelling, and the sides went in at 1-1. New Bet9ja users eyeing Nigerian sides in Africa this season can grab Bet9ja’s YOHAIG welcome bonus first.
Raja took the lead for the first time shortly after the hour mark through Nigerian-born striker Mathias Oyewusi. A Nigerian-born forward had just put a Nigerian side behind on home soil. It stung.
El-Kanemi refused to fold. Nnamdi Mejuobi restored parity seven minutes from time to rescue a point the hosts needed badly.
So what does 2-2 really mean? It leaves the tie wide open, because whoever wins the second leg goes through. Raja know that as well as anyone.
El-Kanemi travel to Casablanca for the return leg on Friday, October 23, to face one of Africa’s most decorated clubs. Backing a Nigerian side on that stage is a brave call, but punters can ease into it with the Bet9ja promotion code.
Defending will decide this one. El-Kanemi conceded twice at home, and Raja won’t need much more than that in front of their own fans. Tightening up at the back is job one.
Can the Desert Warriors do it? They’ve already shown they can score against a side of Raja’s stature, and they’ve shown they can advance after a second leg defeat, as they did against UDIB. Neither fact guarantees anything, but both help.
The wider picture is encouraging for Nigerian football. Enugu Rangers beat MC Alger 2-0 in their CAF Champions League first leg the same weekend. Two Nigerian clubs, two solid first legs.
With Rangers and El-Kanemi both still in the hunt, NPFL followers who fancy testing their forecasting can play Super9ja on Bet9ja for a shot at ₦10M alongside this week’s fixtures.
📌 Did You Know?
- Mejuobi scored twice in El-Kanemi’s 3-0 first-leg win over UDIB, the second from the penalty spot in the 56th minute. Dayo Wahab added the third in the 88th.
- Both of El-Kanemi’s home ties this season, against UDIB and Raja, were staged at Remo Stars’ ground in Ikenne, Ogun State, and not in Maiduguri.
- El-Kanemi qualified for this competition by winning a fourth Federation Cup title, beating Ikorodu City 1-0 in the final in Asaba.
- In August 2024, El-Kanemi were knocked out in the first round by Benin’s Dadje, who were making their continental debut, 3-2 on aggregate.
- Raja were exempt from the first preliminary round, so Sunday’s game in Ikenne was their opening Confederation Cup match of the season.
- Raja’s fellow Moroccan side AS FAR face CO Korhogo of Ivory Coast in the other Moroccan tie at this stage, with the second leg in Rabat on October 25.
