Rivers United battled to a 1-1 draw against hosts San Pedro in the first leg of their CAF Champions League first preliminary round tie at the Laurent Pokou Stadium on Saturday.
Both sides created a number of scoring opportunities in the opening half but failed to find the breakthrough before the interval.
San Pedro eventually took the lead 11 minutes after the restart through Issouf Dosso, who made the most of an opening in the Rivers United defence.
The Pride of Rivers, however, responded strongly and restored parity in the 69th minute through substitute Iyowuna Douglas.
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Douglas showed great composure inside the box before calmly finishing to bring Finidi George’s side level.
Rivers United held firm for the remainder of the contest to secure a valuable away draw ahead of the decisive second leg.
The reverse fixture will take place at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, next Sunday, with the winner advancing to the next round of the competition.
Nigeria’s other representatives in the CAF Champions League, Rangers International, will take on Sobemap FC of Benin Republic at the Moshood Abiola Sports Complex, Abeokuta, on Sunday.
By Adeboye Amosu
