Pillars maul Malakia in Kano

Nigeria’s league champions, Kano Pillars, pummelled Malakia of South Sudan 3-0 at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano to qualify for the first round of the CAF Champions League 5-0 on aggregate.

Pillars, who beat Malakia in Juba 2-0 in the first leg, opened scoring through striker Gambo Mohammed in the 38th minute.

Before this goal, the home side wasted a lot of scoring opportunities with the closest to goal coming from Christian Obiozor who was denied by the woodwork.

At the start of the second half, Obiozor couldn’t give his side a two-goal lead as he missed a sitter when his effort went wide with the keeper at his mercy.

The visitors felt aggrieved after their penalty appeal was completely ignored by the Togolese referee Kossi Blewoussi Azaleko.

Obiozor was having a nightmarish game as he missed another chance to extend the lead after rounding off the keeper only to shoot wide inside the box.

Mbah Ezekiel eventually doubled his team’s lead a minute to full time and Mohammed scored his second and Pillars’ third in stoppage time.

The four-time Nigeria Professional Football League champions will now meet either Tetouan of Morocco or Olympique de Bamako of Mali in the next round of the competition.

In the CAF Confederation Cup, Dolphins beat Vegetarianos of Equatorial Guinea 5-3 on penalty shootouts to qualify for the next round.

Dolphins lost the first leg 1-0 in Malabo two weeks ago and won by the same margin at the Liberation Stadium on Saturday.