CAF Confederation Cup: Late Goals End El-Kanemi Warriors’ Continental Dream

Posted : 25 October 2026

El-Kanemi Warriors’ hopes of advancing in the 2026/2027 CAF Confederation Cup came to an end on Friday as Raja Club Athletic scored twice late in the second leg to secure a 2-0 victory and a 4-2 aggregate triumph.

The Borno Army had battled bravely in Casablanca, frustrating their Moroccan hosts for much of the encounter before two late goals ended their continental ambitions and confirmed their elimination from the competition.

Having drawn 2-2 in the first leg at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, El-Kanemi travelled to Morocco knowing that defensive discipline and clinical finishing would be crucial to their chances of progressing.

For much of the return fixture, the Nigerian side appeared capable of extending the tie, keeping Raja at bay with a determined defensive performance that raised hopes of an upset.

However, their resistance finally crumbled in the 88th minute when Aymen Barkok converted a free-kick to give Raja the breakthrough they desperately needed.

With El-Kanemi searching for an equaliser, Marian Huja struck in the fifth minute of stoppage time to seal the victory and send the Moroccan side through with a 4-2 aggregate score.

The late goals proved particularly painful for El-Kanemi, whose disciplined display had kept the contest finely balanced until the closing stages.

Ultimately, their inability to maintain that resistance until the final whistle denied them the opportunity to progress, despite their spirited performances across both legs.

The defeat completed a disappointing night for Nigerian football on the continental stage, as Rangers International were also eliminated from the CAF Champions League following a 3-0 defeat to MC Alger in Algiers.

Rangers had entered the return fixture with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg in Abeokuta but failed to withstand the Algerian champions’ comeback, exiting the competition 3-2 on aggregate.

Both ties produced the same outcome for the Nigerian representatives, as promising first-leg positions were surrendered under pressure away from home.

Their exits compounded an already disappointing campaign for Nigerian clubs, with Rivers United and Shooting Stars having also been eliminated in earlier rounds of the continental competitions.

Consequently, Nigeria will have no representatives in the group stages of either the CAF Champions League or the CAF Confederation Cup this season.

For El-Kanemi Warriors, the defeat in Casablanca will be remembered as a missed opportunity to extend their continental journey. Rangers’ elimination, meanwhile, highlighted the challenges facing Nigerian clubs in maintaining competitive performances away from home.

The failure of all four Nigerian representatives to reach the group stages raises questions about the country's competitiveness in continental football and the ability of its clubs to manage crucial away fixtures.

Although El-Kanemi and Rangers showed promise in their respective first legs, their eventual exits underline a recurring lesson in continental football: promising starts count for little without the composure and consistency needed to finish the job.

Nigeria’s 2026/2027 CAF interclub campaign has therefore ended without a representative in either competition’s group stage, leaving the country’s clubs with much to reflect on ahead of their next continental assignments.

CAF Confederation Cup: Late Goals End El-Kanemi Warriors’ Continental Dream

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