Rivers United coach Stanley Eguma is hopeful that his team can make it to the final of this season’s CAF Confederation Cup despite having a small 1-0 lead in the first leg of their quarter-finals match against champions USM Alger, The PUNCH reports.
Augustine Okejepha scored in the 10th minute, giving Rivers United the edge over the Algerians at their home ground in Uyo. They will face the Nigerian club in Algeria next Sunday.
Eguma, who returned to the dugout for the match, is choosing to see the positive side of the first leg result before they travel to North Africa on Sunday.
“The most important thing was to win this game. Last season at the same stage, we lost at home 2-0 and were eliminated. We have won this one and we will work harder and put up a strong fight there. I believe we can achieve a better result than last year,” Eguma said.
“I had a health issue but now I'm back. I think the team is better equipped to compete for the title. We are still focused,” he added.
Eguma’s team dominated the first leg in Uyo and he was disappointed that they couldn't convert their numerous chances.
“We scored within 10 minutes because we played with high intensity and got an early goal. We should have continued but we couldn’t convert our chances. We had more possession and performed well overall. I think the scoreline didn’t reflect how well we played,” he commented.
Rivers United are Nigeria’s only representatives in the competition this season and have reached the last eight for the second consecutive season.
They were eliminated at this stage by Tanzanian side, Young Africans, last season.