Enugu Rangers out of CAF Champions League after 3-0 loss in Algiers

MC Alger beat the NPFL champions 3-0 at the Ali La Pointe Stadium in Algiers on Friday night. That overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit and settled the second preliminary round tie 3-2 on aggregate.

All three goals came after the break. How the lead slipped away in Algiers Rangers took a two-goal cushion to Algeria after Kenneth Igboke's penalty and a late James Emo strike settled the first leg in Abeokuta on Sunday 18 October.

For close to an hour on Friday, the plan held. Chahreddine Boukholda broke through two minutes before the hour mark, finishing at the back post, and the pressure on Fidelis Ilechukwu's side grew from there.

The Rangers goalkeeper looked to have kept the tie alive midway through the second half when he saved a penalty from Mohamed Bangoura. Bangoura made amends six minutes from time, scoring from close range to level the aggregate at 2-2, and Soufiane Bayazid then met a set piece at the near post in stoppage time to complete the comeback, according to Daily Trust and Complete Sports.

No red cards were reported on the night. At a glance Detail Result MC Alger 3-0 Rangers (agg.

3-2) Venue Ali La Pointe Stadium, Algiers Round Second preliminary round, second leg Scorers Boukholda, Bangoura, Bayazid First leg Rangers 2-0 MC Alger, Abeokuta, 18 October History repeats itself, almost to the goal After the first leg, Afrik-Foot spotted a striking precedent. The 2-0 win in Abeokuta mirrored Rangers' victory over the same opponents in the 1976 African Cup of Champions Clubs semi-final.

Back then, MC Alger also won 3-0 in Algiers, went through 3-2 on aggregate and lifted the trophy. Fifty years later the scorelines are identical.

The club have now made five attempts since 2006 to reach the group stage of the modern Champions League and failed every time, the outlet noted, which is why it framed Friday's loss as the continuation of a 20-year jinx for a club that reached the continental final in 1975. The confidence before kick-off made the fall harder.

Chief executive Amobi Ezeaku told The Guardian on arrival in Algeria: "We won't face anything. We will play and win them in Algiers."