CAF Champions League

CHAMPIONS’LEAGUE FINAL MATCH MEANS SO MUCH FOR NIGERIA’S JUNIOR AJAYI

Published

5 years ago

November 25, 2020

The CAF Champions League 2020 final will mark a special occasion for Al Ahly’s Nigerian star Junior Ajayi, who is hoping to finally claim the coveted African title which has twice eluded him.

In 2017, Al Ahly lost to Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca 2-1 on aggregate in the decider, before injury prevented the Nigerian from taking part in the same fixture in 2018, which the Red Devils lost to Tunisia’s Esperance 4-3 on aggregate. The 24-year-old forward laments his side’s Champions League ambitions twice being thwarted in the final game.

“It was a bad time for us because coming up just short in consecutive editions isn’t good,” he said. “We’d played very well throughout both of those campaigns but didn’t perform in either final, which cost us the title.”

Having joined Al Ahly from Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien in the summer of 2016, Ajayi quickly made his mark at the Cairo-based club. He helped his side win the domestic league in his first season before scoring nine goals in his second year as they retained the title. Moreover, he scored three times en route to the Champions League final in 2017.

However, the Nigerian suffered a major blow in July 2018, when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament against Botswana’s Township Rollers in the fourth round of that year’s Champions League group stage. Ajayi, who won a bronze medal with the Super Eagles at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament Rio 2016, described this injury as one of his worst moments.

“Having an injury that kept me out of the game for nearly six months was one of the most frustrating moments of my career.” he said.

Did you know?

Ajayi started out as a midfielder, then became a forward and now mostly plays on the wing.
With Al Ahly, he has won four consecutive league titles and lifted the Egyptian Super Cup twice.
He scored a brace against Zamalek in last year’s Super Cup triumph.
So far this season, he has made 42 appearances for his club in all competitions, scoring 11 goals.

Ajayi’s tale is a testament to the old adage that ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’. After recovering from his six-month layoff, he celebrated another Egyptian league title before helping the Red Devils reach their third Champions League final in the last four years.

“We’re very happy we won the league, which gives us confidence ahead of the coming games,” he said. “We’re only focused on the continental title and will do our best to claim it.”

Having already faced the club’s arch-rivals in big games, Ajayi knows how difficult an opponent Zamalek will be and exactly what will await them at Cairo International Stadium on Friday.

“I expect a good game from both sides,” he said. “The two teams know each other very well, and Zamalek are among the toughest teams I’ve faced. I’ve lost two finals against them and it wasn’t a good feeling.”

Al Ahly and their fans will be hoping Ajayi can replicate his heroics against Zamalek from last year, when he scored twice against them in the Egyptian Super Cup. Were that to happen, no-one would be happier than the player himself.

“I love to play in big games because it highlights your capabilities as a player,” Ajayi said. “I’ve been lucky in scoring against big teams and I feel very happy when I do this.

“I want to score more goals and hope to win the Champions League, because it’s the only title I still haven’t managed. I hope we can do it because our fans love this tournament so much.”

If Ajayi succeeds in winning the continental title and participating in the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020, it will surely be his crowning achievement with the Cairo giants.

–FIFA

CAF Champions League

Rivers United Eye Historic Upset in Cairo Against Defending Champions Pyramids FC

Published

8 hours ago

November 22, 2025

Kunle Solaja

Rivers United will step onto the turf of the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Saturday with one mission—announce their arrival among Africa’s elite by challenging reigning CAF Champions League champions Pyramids FC in their opening Group A fixture.

For the Port Harcourt-based side, this clash marks a historic milestone. Rivers United are Nigeria’s first club to reach the CAF Champions League group stage since Enyimba in 2018, and their maiden appearance comes with both pride and purpose.

Coach Finidi George, whose side finished runners-up in the Nigeria Premier Football League last season, led the team to the group stage after tough aggregate victories:

1–0 over Aigles du Congo (DR Congo)
3–2 over Black Bulls (Mozambique)

The Nigerians now have their sights set on proving they belong at this level. While Pyramids FC enter the match as clear favourites—armed with a 5-0 and 3-1 aggregate sweep through the preliminaries—the Nigerian flag-bearers believe they can cause an upset.

Finidi George has placed emphasis on defensive discipline and transitional play, the same approach that carried Rivers through two challenging rounds.

The Nigerian side will also draw confidence from the fact that Pyramids will be without several key players, including Ramadan Sobhi, Osama Galal and Mostafa Fathi, all ruled out through injury.

Their Congolese star Fiston Mayele and Moroccan defender Mohamed Chibi will arrive late after attending the CAF Awards.

Rivers United, in contrast, have had uninterrupted preparations and travel to Cairo with a full-strength squad.

Olanrewaju Yemi Daniel, assistant to Coach Finidi George remarked on a radio programme anchored by Godwin Enakhena that Rivers United have respect for the defending champions, but are far from being afraid.

Pyramids FC enter the group stage on the back of a fairytale year—winning the CAF Champions League, CAF Super Cup, and the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Club Championship, as well as dominating the CAF Awards.

But Rivers United insist they are not in Cairo to admire their hosts.

“We know what Pyramids have achieved, but we also know what we are capable of,” a club official said before departure. “This is a chance for Rivers United to show that Nigerian football still belongs among Africa’s very best.”

Coach Finidi has reportedly echoed the sentiment internally, urging his players to approach the fixture with “courage, structure and belief.”

Group A Battle Begins

Rivers United share Group A with:

Pyramids FC (Egypt) – defending champions
RS Berkane (Morocco) – two-time CAF Confederation Cup winners
Power Dynamos (Zambia)

A positive start in Cairo could set the tone for what would be a landmark campaign for Nigerian club football.

For Rivers United, Saturday’s match is more than a group-stage opener—it is a statement of return, resilience and ambition.

And as they walk out into the echoing stands of the 30 June Stadium, they will be carrying the hopes of a nation eager to see Nigeria reclaim its place on the continent’s biggest club stage.

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

CAF Champions League

Pyramids v Rivers United Headlines CAF Champions League Return

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2025

Kunle Solaja

Africa’s premier club competition roars back this weekend with a heavyweight slate of Matchday 1 fixtures, led by a headline showdown in Cairo where defending champions Pyramids FC host Nigeria’s Rivers United in Group A.

The opening round promises fireworks before the tournament breaks for the AFCON window in December and January.

Backed by home support and fresh off a Super Cup triumph, Krunoslav Jurčić’s Pyramids enter the clash in confident mood. The Cairo giants boast a strong core anchored by goalkeeper Ahmed El-Shenawy, midfield conductor Walid El Karti, and lethal striker Fiston Mayele.

However, they will be without influential trio Ramadan Sobhi, Osama Galal, and Mostafa Fathi, yet expectations remain high following last season’s title run.

Rivers United travel to Egypt with renewed momentum and defensive discipline. The Port Harcourt side have shown improved attacking sharpness domestically, prompting coach Finidi George to sound upbeat ahead of the away test.

“I’m quite happy that we have scored two; maybe by the next game we can score three,” Finidi said after their recent morale-boosting league win. “Let’s take it one game at a time. We just have to enjoy this now and focus on Pyramids.”

The group’s other fixture sees RS Berkane—the former CAF Confederation Cup champions turned Botola Pro titleholders—host Zambia

MATCHDAY 1 FIXTURES (All times GMT)

CAF Champions League

Friday, 21 November
13:00 — Al-Hilal Omdurman (SUD) vs MC Alger (ALG)

Saturday, 22 November
13:00 — Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA) vs St Éloi Lupopo (DRC)
13:00 — Young Africans (TAN) vs AS FAR Rabat (MAR)
16:00 — Al Ahly (EGY) vs JS Kabylie (ALG)
16:00 — Espérance Tunis (TUN) vs Stade Malien (MLI)
19:00 — RS Berkane (MAR) vs Power Dynamos (ZAM)
19:00 — Pyramids (EGY) vs Rivers United (NGA)

Sunday, 23 November
13:00 — Simba (TAN) vs Petro Atlético (ANG)

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

CAF Champions League

Acid test for Rivers United as CAF Champions’ League Group Stage Begins

Published

4 days ago

November 18, 2025

Kunle Solaja

Nigeria’s flagbearers, Rivers United, face a stern early test on Saturday night as they storm Cairo to take on Egyptian giants Pyramids FC and defending champions in one of the headline fixtures of Matchday 1 of the CAF Champions’ League group stage.

The encounter — one of the biggest opening-night clashes — pits Rivers United against the reigning Champions League holders, who are banking on home support and continental pedigree to begin their title defence on a strong note.

For Rivers United, the match offers a major opportunity to assert Nigeria’s relevance in Africa’s elite club competition after years of inconsistency by NPFL sides on the continental scene.

Africa’s premier club tournaments — the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup — officially return this weekend, featuring a packed field of heavyweights and ambitious challengers from every region of the continent.

Aside from the Pyramids vs Rivers United showdown, Matchday 1 delivers several high-profile duels. Morocco’s RS Berkane host Zambia’s Power Dynamos in another headline fixture, while Africa’s most successful club, Al Ahly, begin their chase for a record-extending 13th crown at home to JS Kabylie.

Elsewhere, four-time champions Espérance de Tunis welcome Stade Malien, and Mamelodi Sundowns kick off their campaign against DR Congo’s St Éloi Lupopo. Young Africans face AS FAR in a Tanzania–Morocco duel rich in history and rivalry.

In the CAF Confederation Cup, former winners Zamalek and USM Alger headline a strong field that also includes Wydad, CR Belouizdad, Kaizer Chiefs, Stellenbosch, Azam and ZESCO United. Newcomers Nairobi United embark on their maiden continental journey with a tough trip to Wydad.

An all-Egyptian group promises fireworks as Zamalek host ZESCO and Al Masry battle Kaizer Chiefs. Other notable fixtures include OC Safi travelling to Djoliba and Maniema Union hosting Azam in a vibrant East–Central Africa clash.

Two matchdays will be completed before action pauses for the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025. The group stage will resume in January 2026.

MATCHDAY 1 FIXTURES (All times GMT)

CAF Champions League
Friday, 21 November
13:00 — Al-Hilal Omdurman (SUD) vs MC Alger (ALG)

Saturday, 22 November
13:00 — Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA) vs St Éloi Lupopo (DRC)
13:00 — Young Africans (TAN) vs AS FAR Rabat (MAR)
16:00 — Al Ahly (EGY) vs JS Kabylie (ALG)
16:00 — Espérance Tunis (TUN) vs Stade Malien (MLI)
19:00 — RS Berkane (MAR) vs Power Dynamos (ZAM)
19:00 — Pyramids (EGY) vs Rivers United (NGA)

Sunday, 23 November
13:00 — Simba (TAN) vs Petro Atlético (ANG)

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H