The Leones Vegetarianos of Equatorial Guinea on Saturday night defeated Nigeria’s second representative in the CAF Confederations Cup, Dolphins of Port Harcourt, 1-0 in the preliminary round.
The first leg tie was played in Malabo, the Equatorial Guinea capital.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the hurriedly prepared Port Harcourt side had to fend off their shabby preparation for the away tie.
The team left for Malabo by 8pm on Friday, barely 24 hours to the match.
However, against all odds, the Dolphins started the competition the better of the two teams.
The Port Harcourt boys, however, lost concentration in the crucial moments of the match and crashed by conceding a lone goal to the Leones Vegetarianos.
Dolphins had some goal scoring chances in the tension-soaked match but were unable to convert them.
The hosts gradually improved in the second half, piling pressure on the Garden City team in the dying minutes of the game.
This pressure earned the host a hard fought 1-0 victory in the 86th minute, in front of their fans.
Despite the presence of top Equatorial Guinea internationals, Diosdado Mbele and Miguel Angel Ngomo, in their fold, Vegetarianos left it late to score against the Nigeria Federation Cup runners up.
The result also continued the Pride of Rivers’ poor run as the Stanley Eguma tutored-side failed to taste victory in their past six games.
Dolphins must overturn the 0-1 deficit at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt onMarch 1, if they do not want to kiss the competition goodbye in the early stages.
The Nigerian side must score at least two goals in the second leg to advance, in order to qualify for the first round.
It must also win the second leg on March 1, so as to confirm its date with Tunisian foes, Club Africain, waiting in the wings.
NAN reports that Al Ahly of Egypt are the defending champions of the CAF Confederations Cup after their 1-0 aggregate triumph over Sewe Sports of Cote d’ Ivoire, last year.
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