17th March, 2013
Head coach of Kano Pillars, Baba Ganaru was full of praises of his players after they defeated AC Leopards of Congo in a CAF Champions League match at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano, on Saturday.
Ganaru said he was pleased with the result despite watching his side concede an away goal.
“We didn’t want to concede a goal at home but this is football. We have recorded a very important victory against a very good side and we must do all we can to have a good result in the second leg,” Ganaru told supersport.com.
A first half brace from Mustapha Musa set the tone for Nigerian champions, Pillars to record a 4-1 victory over Congolese club, AC Leopards in a first leg, first round Champions League game.
Musa’s first effort arrived inside the opening 10 minutes as the Sai Masu Gida began on the front foot.
The home side had to wait until the stroke of half time when Musa completed his brace to give them a healthy advantage going into the break.
Pillars continued to dominate and duly got their reward eight minutes after the break when Mannir Ubale made it 3-0 to send the home supporters into fits of delirium.
The Central Africans got a temporary reprieve on 72 minutes when Drame Bine gave his side a potentially priceless away goal but Kabiru Umar restored Kano Pillars’ three-goal cushion with a well-taken goal eight minutes before the end.
Pillars will fancy their chances of progression to the next stage after this result as AC Leopards will need to score three times without conceding in the second leg.