Lobi Stars suffered a disappointing 3-0 to South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa in their CAF Champions League matchday five encounter at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday, reports Completesports.com.
The defeat put a dent on the Makurdi club hopes of progressing into the quater-final stage of the competition.
The hosts started the game on a positive note with Thapelo Morena handing them the lead in the second minute.
Lobi Stars struggled to get going in the game as the Brazilians piled more pressure on their defence.
The pressure paid off eight minutes before the break when Gaston Sirino capitalized on a defensive error and rolled the ball in for Themba Zwane who fired the ball into the net.
Two minutes later, Lebohang Maboe scored his side’s third goal of the game. He dribbled past the entire Lobi Stars defence before hitting the back of the net with a fine finish.
Solomon Ogbeide’s men will host Asec Mimosas of Ivory Coast in their last group game on Saturday, March 16 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.
Elsewhere in Abidjan, Ivorian champions ASEC Mimosas beat Wydad Athletic Club of Morocco 2-0 in another Group A clash.
Burkinabe-import Amed Toure scored twice in the secon half to settle matters.
Mamelodi Sundowns who top the group with 10 points from five games are already through to the quarter-finals following the win against Lobi Stars.
Wydad Casablanca and Asec Mimosas sit in second and third position with seven points each.
Lobi Stars occupy last position in the group with four points.
By Adeboye Amosu
7 Comments
These Nigeria teams are runned just like Nigeria economy and politics should football in Nigeria continue like this I think the general public will loose interest in the game. I feel really gutted watching this game on the internet and it’s a total waste of time. Time is money I feel very bad for our pride.
Stupid team I knew they had nothing to offer…
If rangers don’t step up too, they wont make it to next round
When they play the next at home, hopefully this will give them upper hand.
Nigerian clubsides are hardly pulling their weights on the continent.
They’ve evolved as metaphor for the rots that beset our league.
Personally, my hope in them has grown thin.
This is the consequence of the league being cut short in April 2018 and Lobi Stars coronated as champions undeservedly. The League was then rushed to start so that they can register half baked teams for continental competitions.
Unless the league is run to completion this year and next season starts at the correct time in August, next year our teams will also suffer in CAF competitions. You cannot recruit players (sometimes upto 15 new players) in December, start playing CAF competitions in January and hope to compete with teams that have been playing together since August last year. You cannot lose your captain and several players to clubs in Vietnam between legs of CAF games and hope to play in a good way.
The league needs consistency in order for the clubs to play quality football. The average club outside of Nigeria will add maybe six players in close season and blend the squad, ours will recruit between 10 and 15 players every season and then start expecting magic.
Recruit quality, build the team, treat the players well, pay them on time and you will be successful
The manner in which they lost was a real shame. These Nigerian clubsides keep denting the pride and profile of Nigerian football on the continent and kill the fear factor for the SE.
Lobi came out swarming all over the host’s 18 but came short of ideas on how to penetrate the mass defence of Sundowns. Meanwhile, Lobi practically had no midfield and their the defence was easily bested.
Sundowns played mass attack, mass defence which properly took care of Lobi’s game plan to surprise them on their home ground. They read Lobi’s captain’s interview on taking all 3 points and had an idea the tactic they would adopt.
A goal in the 2nd minute, and 2 quickfire goals in the 38th & 39th minute off defensive errors and the match was settled. All against the run of play. Needless to say Sundowns was parading Dennis Onyango, CAF goalkeeper of the years for 3 years in a row now. With Sundowns playing mass defence, Lobi resorted to long range strikes from outside the 18, which were easily parried away by the super effective Onyango. This keeper can only be beaten at a close range or by a tap in.
Lobi was their own undoing. Hopefully, Rangers restores some pride for Nigeria tomorrow. Meanwhile, Akpeyi, a national goalkeeper and supposed number 1 at Kaizer Chiefs was benched in a league game today. It was coming…
After this there are still some people that would still be advocating for more homebased players on the Super Eagles when it is clear that homebased due not have the quality nor mental capacity to compete at the top level of African football not talk of World Cup level. We just have restructure the local game otherwise nothing will change.