Egyptian giants Zamalek have secured a place in the semifinals of the CAF Champions League after claiming a 1-0 home win over Nigeria’s Enyimba in a rescheduled Group B clash at the Petrosport Stadium in Cairo on Monday night.
With South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns having secured top spot in the three-team group with a game to spare, Zamalek and Enyimba met in what was effectively a quarterfinal.
The Egyptians came into the game with a notable advantage, both in hosting the clash and having beaten their Nigerian opponents 1-0 in Port Harcourt in the teams’ first group meeting back in June. This meant the White Knights only needed to avoid defeat to ensure progression.
n the end they went one better, with Bassem Morsi – the same scorer in Port Harcourt more than two months ago – once again haunting Enyimba by netting a 63rd minute goal from the penalty spot.
The result sees Zamalek complete their Group B matches and finish with six points from four outings. Enyimba are bottom of the standings with zero points and will end their participation in the tournament with a home match against Sundowns next midweek.
The Egyptians are likely to face current Group A leaders Wydad Casablanca in the semifinals, which will be played over two legs in September.
Delta State poly multi-million Naira stadium for commissioning
FROM EMMANUEL OGOIGBE WARRI
The multi million Naira stadium of the Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro will be commissioned by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa by September this year.
The Rector of the polytechnic, Dr Jacob Oboreh said this recently while briefing journalists on the preparation towards the official commission of the sports complex by the state governor.
He said the stadium which was the first of its kind in an institution of higher learning in Nigeria, apart from developing sports in the state, shall be able to direct the energies of the youth towards productive ideas and saving them from social vices like cultism and armed robbery.
The Rector maintained that the stadium project, which cost at a little above half a billion Naira was done through direct labour, using the staff of engineering, building, estate survey and environmental studies of the school.
He paid special tribute to the governor of the state who last year on a visit to the polytechnic gave the sum of one hundred million naira as appreciation to the efforts of the school management towards the stadium project.
The stadium has a sitting capacity of 14,000 people with complete roofs, 149 toilets and 89 urinary among other facilities.
The stadium also boasts of a football field and tracks for athletics competition.
According to the Rector, the stadium shall be officially commission in either late August or early September 2016 by the state governor and will then be put to use.
On the economic value of the stadium, the Rector said that the coming polytechnic games shall be held in Ozoro and that other sports meet of national and international standards can also be held in the school, thereby boosting the internally generated revenue of the school.
On the magic behind the success of such gigantic sports complex, the Rector disclosed that it was a product of accountability and transparency coupled with prudent uses of the internally generated revenue of the institution.
He therefore called on other heads of higher institutions in the state and country at large to use the human resources and material resources within their institutions to leapfrog their development.
It would be recalled that the foundation ceremony of the Delta State Polytechnic stadium, Ozoro was laid on August 2015.