Lobi Stars of Makurdi playmaker, Oahimije Kelly Kester is relying on history to help his team beat Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa in the CAF Champions League, as he remembers doing same in his days with Enyimba of Aba.
Following Friday’s group stage draw that pits ‘The Brazilians’ against the Nigerian champions, footballive.ng reports that Kester is upbeat that Lobi can repeat what The Peoples’ Elephant did against the South African club.
Although Sundowns are rated higher than Lobi Stars in terms of pedigree, having won the continental showpiece just three years ago, Kester insists that the fact Enyimba were able to beat them will inspire another Nigerian victory.
Kester also fancies his side’s chances against two other former champions in the same group, as Lobi will also battle Wydad Casablanca of Morocco and ASEC Mimosas of Cote d’Ivoire, but they start with a home clash against Sundowns.
Kester recalled that he played the entire duration of both games when Enyimba faced Sundowns in 2016.
Though the Aba side lost the first game 2-1 in South Africa, which qualified The Brazilians for the next stage of the competition, Enyimba won the reverse leg 3-1 in Port Harcourt in their final group game.
Kester has now declared that the last victory is still fresh in his mind, especially with a wonder goal from one of his former teammates, and he believes Lobi can do same against the South Africans on January 13.
He recounted: “It was a great experience for me because that was my first time playing in the CAF Champions League.
“I still remember that screamer Dare ojo scored and over both legs, the game against Sundowns was really enjoyable.
“It was an amazing experience playing against a team that is well structured and has the right philosophy about how football should be played.
“They are a very physical side and at the same time loves playing the game on the ground.
“Having two recent former champions (makes it look tough), but we are Lobi Stars and that Naija spirit of never-say-die always gets us through.
“I remember our game against Gor Mahia, a lot of people wrote us off but in the end we qualified.
“So, we will take each game as they come and hopefully after the six games we’ll shock Africa. I think if we do the right things we will go through.”
