Atef second half hat trick send Rivers Utd crashing in Champions League Group Opener

CAF champions League holders , Pyramids of Egypt began their title defence on a good note Saturday night, when they defeated Nigerian representatives, Rivers United by 3-0 in Cairo.

Their three goals came from a sensational hat-trick by 22-year-old winger Ahmed Atef, who ensured that the Nigerians left the 30 June Stadium brushed.

Group A was expected to be a battlefield, and the champions wasted no time reminding Africa why they were the title holders; though it wasn’t an easy job as the visitors played a good defensive first half that didn’t allow them to score, not minding that they dominated play.

However, it was the second half that turned things around as the Egyptians kept on mounting pressure after pressure on the Rivers Utd goal area searching for the curtain raiser

Just seven minutes after the restart, Atef struck. Rivers United goalkeeper, Onisodumeya spilled Mahmoud Zalaka’s shot , and the young winger calmly buried the rebound into an empty net, igniting the home crowd.

In the 57th minute, Atef scored again, meeting Karim Hafez’s pinpoint cross with a decisive header to double the lead and send Rivers’ defence scrambling for answers they never found.

Then came the finishing blow. In the 72nd minute, Atef completed his hat trick, a blistering strike inside the box that thundered past Onisodumeya, ensuring they grab all the three points at stake.

In the other Group A match, RS Berkane, also recorded a 3–0 victory against Power Dynamos.