Nigerian club Rivers United drew 0-0 away to Etoile Filante of Burkina Faso on Sunday and boosted hopes of reaching the CAF Confederation Cup group stage.
The Pride of Rivers qualified for the second round of the preliminary round of the competition after they were drawn bye by the African soccer ruling body.
They joined the competition in the Second Round due to their decent performance last season finishing in the quarter-final.
Etoile on their part reached the second after they defeated Casa Ziguiqor of Senegal in the first round.
Meanwhile Ouagadougou-based Etoile were forced to play in the Ivory Coast city of Yamoussoukro because there is no international-standard stadium in their country.
Stanley Eguma Rivers side is the best bet for a Nigerian presence in the mini-league phase this season after compatriots Bendel Insurance were held at home by Renaissance Berkane of Morocco on Saturday.
Return matches in the last 32 qualifiers will be staged between September 29 and October 1 with Rivers enjoying home advantage while Bendel travels to North Africa.
The Confederation Cup – the African equivalent of the Europa League – offers Nigeria the only hope of CAF glory after the early exits of Enyimba and Remo Stars from the Champions League.
No Nigerian club has won the second-tier competition since its introduction in 2004 with Dolphins coming closest by losing the second final to Moroccan outfit FAR Rabat.
Sportsbeep 