Defending CAF Champions League titleholders Pyramids FC began their 2025–26 group stage campaign with a commanding 3–0 victory over Nigeria’s Rivers United at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Saturday night. The match was highlighted by a remarkable 20-minute hat-trick from 22-year-old forward Ahmed Atef Otta, who dismantled the Nigerian defense with clinical precision.
Rivers United, making their return to the Champions League group stage, held their own in the first half, maintaining a disciplined and organized defense that kept the scoreline goalless at halftime. However, the second half saw a dramatic shift. Otta opened the scoring in the 52nd minute, added a second five minutes later, and completed his hat-trick in the 72nd minute, effectively sealing the win for the Egyptian side.
Rivers United head coach Finidi George expressed his disappointment post-match, stating, “One mistake changed everything,” acknowledging the team’s lapse in concentration that led to their second-half collapse.
Pyramids FC, who secured their first CAF Champions League title in June 2025 and followed it up with a CAF Super Cup victory in October, have now extended their dominance on the continental stage.
Rivers United will look to rebound in their next Group A fixture against Morocco’s RS Berkane at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo. Meanwhile, Pyramids FC will travel to Lusaka to face Zambia’s Power Dynamos.
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