Elkanemi Warriors’ continental adventure ended in heartbreaking fashion on Friday night as two late goals condemned the Nigerian side to a 4–2 aggregate defeat against Morocco’s Raja Club Athletic in the CAF Confederation Cup, bringing Nigeria’s campaign in the 2026/27 CAF interclub competitions to an end.
The Borno Army had held their own for much of the second leg in Casablanca, keeping Raja at bay before the hosts struck twice in the closing stages to secure a 2–0 victory and advance to the next round.
Following an entertaining 2–2 draw in the first leg at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, El-Kanemi travelled to Morocco needing a positive result to keep their continental hopes alive.
Their disciplined defensive display frustrated the Moroccan giants for most of the return fixture, raising hopes of an upset. However, Raja finally broke through in the 88th minute when Aymen Barkok found the net with a free-kick.
Marian Huja then struck in the fifth minute of stoppage time to put the result beyond doubt, sealing a 4–2 aggregate triumph for the hosts.
The late collapse ended El-Kanemi’s hopes of reaching the group stage despite their spirited resistance across the two legs.
The defeat compounded a difficult night for Nigerian club football, with Rangers International also exiting the CAF Champions League after losing 3–0 to MC Alger in Algiers.
Rangers had carried a 2–0 advantage from the first leg but were unable to protect their lead in the return fixture, suffering a 3–2 aggregate defeat to the Algerian champions.
The elimination of both teams on Friday completed Nigeria’s disappointing campaign in this season’s CAF interclub competitions.
Rivers United and Shooting Stars had already been knocked out in earlier rounds, leaving Nigeria without a surviving representative in either the CAF Champions League or Confederation Cup.
The exits of all four clubs mark a disappointing end to Nigeria’s continental campaign, with the country’s representatives unable to progress to the group stages of the two competitions.
