RIVERS United have a mountain to climb to reach the semi-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup after a 2-0 defeat at home to Young Africans today.
The Tanzanians scored twice in the second half to stun the paltry crowd at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo in the first leg of the quarter-final tie.
Fiston Mayele netted both goals to give the Tanzanians a huge advantage ahead of the second leg in Dar-es-Salaam.
The Yanga forward opened the scoring in the 73rd minute, latching on to a pass on the right hand channel as the Rivers United defence expected the offside flag.
With Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in use, the goal was reviewed and Mayele was confirmed to be just onside.
The tie got more complicated for the Nigeria Premier Football League champions nine minutes from time when Mayele struck again after a devastating breakaway that followed a mismanaged Rivers United set-piece.
Rivers United are looking to become the first Nigerian club to win a continental trophy since Enyimba won the CAF Champions League back to back in 2003 and 2004, but it is a tall dream now after today’s result.
