TEMITOPE FOLARIN: RIVERS UNITED MUST FALL IN PORT HARCOURT

BAMAKO, Mali – AS Real Bamako midfielder, Temitope Folarin is eager to help his Malian side overcome Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) club, Rivers United in Sunday’s Caf Champions League clash in Port Harcourt.

The two sides battled to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their preliminary round game at the Stade Modibo Kéïta, Bamako on Sunday, leaving the tie evenly poised on a knife edge ahead of the second leg at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium.

Folarin says United did not ‘come to Bamako to win’ in the first leg and reckons the tie is not over yet.

“Rivers United is a good team but they did not come to Bamako to win. They came for a draw. We (AS Real) tried to win; we had a few chances but could not take them.

“We will try to win in Port Harcourt in the second leg. The objective when we go there (Port Harcourt) will be to score a goal and it will put them under pressure. I think we can go further in this competition,” he told supersport.com.

The winner of the Rivers United/AS Real Bamako tie will face either Sony Ela Nguema (Equatorial Guinea) or Al-Merreikh (Sudan) in the next round of the competition.

Al-Merreikh beat Sony Ela Nguema 1-0 in the first leg of their preliminary round clash at Nuevo Estadio de Malabo, Malabo last Sunday.