Mamelodi Sundowns outclassed Nigeria’s Remo Stars with a 5-1 victory in Abeokuta on October 19, 2025, to take control of their CAF Champions League first leg clash, Footynaija.com reports.
The South African champions showed their experience and composure in a match that exposed the gulf between both sides at continental level.
Sundowns, led by Ronwen Williams, produced a confident display against the NPFL side, whose players struggled to cope with the tempo and quality of the visitors. The result leaves Remo Stars with an uphill task ahead of the return leg in Pretoria.
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It was a difficult night for the Sky Blue Stars, who were playing their first continental match at home this season. Their starting lineup, filled with mostly home-based players, was unable to contain the pace and movement of a Sundowns side built around several international players.
After the game, some fans pointed out the contrast in both teams’ makeup, with comments noting that Sundowns had many Bafana Bafana players in their lineup, while Remo Stars had none currently representing the Super Eagles.
A check on the Sundowns starting XI confirms the presence of several national team regulars: Ronwen Williams, Khuliso Mudau, Keanu Cupido, Teboho Mokoena, Aubrey Modiba, and Malibongwe Khoza have all been part of Hugo Broos’s South African setup in recent times.
In contrast, the Remo Stars starting XI in Abeokuta on Sunday features players who are largely stars who do not feature in Eric Chelle’s Super Eagles squad.
Their lineup included goalkeeper Kayode Obassa, defender Nenge, midfielder Oyowah, and forward Victor Mbaoma, with Mbaoma being the only player who has ever come close to a national call-up. He trained with the Eagles under Austin Eguavoen in 2022 but has not made any competitive appearance since.
The match connects with a larger debate around Nigeria’s national team selection. In Eric Chelle’s recent Super Eagles squads for the October 2025 World Cup qualifiers, for example, not a single home-based player was included. The list featured only foreign-based stars from European leagues.
