Rivers United have reached the group stage of the 2025/2026 CAF Champions League following a 3-1 win over Mozambique’s Black Bulls at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom.
They qualified 3-2 on aggregate.
The Nigerian team had lost 1-0 to the Mozambican champions at the Estádio Nacional do Zimpeto in Maputo on Sunday, courtesy of a second-half effort from Moctar Diallo.
That left Rivers United with a mountain to climb heading into the second leg of the second round of the second round tie.
When it was time for that reverse fixture, Coach George Finidi’s men lived up to expectations, winning 3-1 to advance 3-2 on aggregate into the next phase of the continental competition.
The home team took the lead just 15 minutes into the game, thanks to a goal from Wasiu Falolu.
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Three minutes before the 45th-minute mark, Maclyn Biokpo doubled the scoreline for the Port-Harcourt-based team.
Upon the resumption of the second half, the visitors got one back from Moctar Diallo.
With the game tied at 2-2 on aggregate, Finidi’s side needed a goal to seal things up.
Timothy Zachariah stepped up and finished superbly to give his club a 3-1 lead in the 76th minute and 3-2 in total.
Rivers United held on to keep the scoreline enough to see them through to the lucrative group stage of the CAF Champions League.
In the meantime, Nigeria’s second representative in the competition needs a miracle to achieve the same feat. They are in South Africa, where they take on last year’s runners-up, Mamelodi Sundowns, who smashed the Nigerians 1-5 in the first leg played in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The return fixture is billed for Sunday.
