Enugu Rangers hopes of reaching the CAF Champions League group stage ended in disappointment on Friday after the Nigerian champions surrendered a two-goal first-leg advantage to lose 3-0 to Algeria’s MC Alger, exiting 3-2 on aggregate, Trybal News reports.
The Flying Antelopes had travelled to Algiers with confidence following their impressive 2-0 victory in the first leg in Abeokuta, despite playing most of that encounter with 10 men after goalkeeper Lucky Jimoh was sent off in the 13th minute.
However, Rangers were unable to reproduce that resilience in the return leg as MC Alger mounted a second-half comeback to overturn the deficit and secure qualification.
Chahreddine Boukholda opened the scoring in the 58th minute to reduce Rangers’ aggregate advantage and raise hopes of a comeback among the home supporters.
Mohamed Bangoura then struck in the 84th minute to level the tie at 2-2 on aggregate, leaving Rangers facing the prospect of extra time unless they could hold on for a penalty shootout.
Their resistance was finally broken in stoppage time when Soufiane Bayazid scored the decisive goal in the 92nd minute, completing MC Alger’s turnaround and condemning the Nigerian champions to elimination.
The result represents a painful setback for Rangers, who had put themselves in a strong position to progress after Kenneth Igboke’s penalty and James Emo’s late strike secured the first-leg victory.
The defeat also carries historical significance for the Enugu club. In 1976, Rangers suffered a remarkably similar fate against MC Alger, losing the return leg 3-0 after winning the first encounter by the same scoreline of 2-0. The Algerian side subsequently went on to win the continental title.
Rangers will now turn their attention to domestic football after their continental campaign ended in Algiers, while MC Alger advance to the next stage of the competition.
