Pillars Crash Out Of CAF Champions League

 

CAF Champions League

Result: Kano Pillars 2-1  Moghreb Athletic Tetouane

Date: 04 April 2015

Kano Pillars crashed out of the CAF Champions League when they were beaten 5-2 on aggregate by Morocco's Moghreb Athletic Tetouane at the Sani Abacha Stadium on Saturday.

The Nigerian side won 2-1 in Kano thanks to second half goals from Tony Edjomariegwe and Rabiu Ali, but the result was not enough to overturn the 4-0 deficit from the first leg clash at the Stade Saniat Rmel.

Ali was outstanding for Pillars at the heart of the midfield. He was no doubt the best player on the pitch.

Pillars were annihilated 4-0 in the first leg battle at the Stade Saniat Rmel on Saturday 21st March.

The Okey Emordi led team were taught a lesson at Tetouane, with Mouhcine Yajour scoring thrice in a one-sided affair which saw Pillars needing a miracle to progress in the second leg match which got underway by 16h00.

Tetouane goalkeeper saved superbly from Ali after the playmaker was played through, and Ezekiel Mba also dragged his shot wide when he should have punished the Moroccans in the 16th minute.

Pillars increased the tempo and power as the match went on. A criminal miss from Adamu Hassan wasn't what Pillars needed.

The home fans were silenced in the 33rd minute when usual suspect Iajour put the visitors ahead with a fine finish.

There was a big let-off from Pillars though as Hassan escaped and set up his team mate who couldn't level up for the hosts.

Tetouane ended up winning the first half 1-0 as the home fans wondered what went wrong with their darling team.

After the break, Pillars were looking to create a spark and they controlled the game with ease.

They soon got the much needed equaliser through Edjomariegwe on the hour mark.

The impatient home fans threw empty cans and bottles into the pitch expressing their disappointments in Pillars' inadequacies as the clock started thicking.

Ali passed the ball with ease and rallied his team mates to score goals in order to at least win the match.

Tetouane were down to 10 men when Hazael Houssani got the marching order following a second yellow card.

Pillars had chances to win the match in normal time and bombarded the stubborn Tetouane defence line.

The excellent Ali broke through Tetouane's resistance with a late goal to clinch a 2-1 over the 10-man visitors, but the 90th minute strike wasn't enough as Pillars crashed out of the competition.

Kano Pillars Starters: John Lawrence, Promise James, Samuel Tswanya, Mohammed Shagari, Reuben Ogbonnaya, Joel Djongdong, Azeez Shobowale, Tony Edjomariegwe, Ezekiel Mba, Rabiu Ali, Adamu Hassan