Nigeria’s champions, Remo Stars, advanced to the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League after completing a 5-0 aggregate victory over Comoros’ US Zilimadjou on Friday.

The Sky Blue Stars, who cruised to a 4-0 win in the first leg last Sunday, wrapped up the tie with a 1-0 triumph in the return leg, both fixtures staged at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta.

With a comfortable cushion from the first encounter, Daniel Ogunmodede’s men started the second leg on the front foot, handing starts to Haruna Hadi and Adama Goita in place of Adedayo Olamilekan and Joseph Abah. 

However, despite dominating possession, they struggled to create clear openings, while goalkeeper Obassa Adeniyi was called into action twice to keep Zilimadjou at bay before the break.

The introduction of Michael Ibe, Samson Olasupo, and Ibrahim Shuaib injected more urgency into Remo’s play in the second half, and the pressure finally paid off in the 74th minute. A cross from Ibrahim Abubakar struck the hand of a Zilimadjou defender inside the box, and Alex Oyowah calmly dispatched the resulting penalty to seal the win.

That strike proved decisive as Remo Stars held firm to book their place in the next round, where they will face South African heavyweights Mamelodi Sundowns for a coveted spot in the lucrative group stage of Africa’s premier club competition.