The hope of Nigeria’s 2023 Federation Cup champions Bendel Insurance reaching the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup hangs in balance after playing out a 2-2 draw against RS Berkane at home.
The Benin Arsenal reached the second round after they got the better of ASO Chlef of Algeria in the first preliminary round.
Playing in front of their fans at Samuel Ogbemudia stadium, Bendel Insurance took the game to the Moroccan and they got the opening goal in the 28th minute when Imade Osarenkhoe slotted home after RS Berkane’s goalkeeper spilled Benjamin Tanimu’s shot.
Unfortunately, the Moroccan side found their way back before the end of the first half to go into the break with a 1-1 draw which was no good news for the Nigerian team.
In the second half, Bendel Insurance continued to show a lot of promise, especially in attack, and got their reward through substitute Augustus Vincent who put the host ahead again in the 60th minute but their joy was short-lived with Mohamed El Morabit finishing a brilliant counter-attacking move.
This means that Bendel Insurance are condemned to win the second leg at the Berkane Municipal Stadium in Morocco in a fortnight, to stand a chance of qualifying for the next round. They can also scale through if they can grab a 3-3 draw.
As for Berkane, the Moroccan side needs just a 0-0 draw to scale through to the next round, thanks to away goal rules.
Sportsbeep 