CAF Confederation Cup
MBAOMA, ENYIMBA’S NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Gone were the days when Nigeria hopeful Enyimba were one of the most-feared teams on the continent to the same extent that the People’s Elephants were successively crowned continental champions in 2003 and 2004.
The Aba-based side have struggled ever since much more so in the on-going continental cup campaign since they flattered to deceive in the Total CAF Champions League after posting a 5-1 aggregate win over Rahimo FC of Burkina Faso, Enyimba lost 1-0 on aggregate to Al Hilal of Sudan to drop off into the play-off for the Total CAF Confederation Cup.
Though, they did spank South Africa’s second division side TS Galaxy 4-1 on aggregate to secure their berth in the Confederation Cup mini-league group stage, Enyimba have recorded a loss and a win in two matches following that 2-0 away defeat to Hassania Agadir on MatchDay 1 and that hard-fought 1-0 home win against San Pedro on MatchDay 2.
As the mini-league reaches halfway mark on MatchDay 3, three-point Enyimba are second on the log in Group D behind Hassania Agadir of Morocco, who have six points, while Algerian debutants Paradou and San Pedro of Cote d’Ivoire are both in the rear with one point each.
However, Enyimba striker Victor Mbaoma reckons his side must avoid defeat against the ‘Blue and Yellow’ on Sunday in Blida.
“Our expectation against Paradou is to win because if we need to qualify from this group for the quarter finals, we need to win our matches henceforth,” the Enyimba Number 25 said in an interview with CAFOnline.com
“We have lost one and won one of the previous two matches; this is our third match in the group stage and we can’t afford to lose again. We just have to win so that it can enhance our chances of qualifying from this difficult group.”
The 23-year-old forward, recruited from Nigerian top flight side Remo Stars at the start of the season, is regarded as one of his side’s outstanding players this term.
“We have a lot of quality players and I’m really happy because being here has really helped me personally; it has helped me to grow as a person and as a player.”
But this is not Mbaoma’s debut on the continent after his four goals for Akwa United in the Uyo-based side’s ill-fated campaign in the 2018 Total CAF Confederation Cup, where they exited in the penultimate round before the group stage.
“The experience has been very good,” surmise Victor whose surname, Mbaoma, means ‘good man’ in his native Abia State in Eastern Nigeria.
“I’m grateful to be able to play at the continental level again; and it has really helped my game and exposed me as a player.
“My best moment so far in this Total CAF Confederation Cup was scoring against TS Galaxy at home in Aba as well as when we qualified for the group stage.
“In the Nigerian league, it was when I scored twice against Adamawa United because it boosted my confidence to go for the top scorer of the season; and this has really strengthened me,” he said.
Yet for Mbaoma, it’s not a question of how good he is currently but how good he wants to be as he models his fledging career after Portuguese great, Cristiano Ronaldo.
“My footballing hero has always been Cristiano Ronaldo simply because he loves to win and score goals,” Mbaoma said with an unmistakable clarity.
“I always like to watch him and you can see that he’s not always happy when he doesn’t score goals. I try to emulate such a great player because I love to score goals too.”
Fixtures
Group A
SUNDAY
- Alexandria Al Masry (Egypt) vs Pyramids (Egypt)
- Mauritania Nouadhibou (Mauritania) vs Enugu Rangers (Nigeria)
Group B
SUNDAY
- Conakry Horoya (Guinea) vs Djoliba (Mali)
- Johannesburg Bidvest (South Africa) vs El Nasr (Libya)
Group C
SUNDAY
- Porto Novo ESAE (Benin) vs Zanaco (Zambia)
- Berkane RS Berkane (Morocco) vs Motema Pembe (DR Congo)
Group D
SUNDAY
- Blida Paradou (Algeria) vs Enyimba (Nigeria)
- Abidjan San Pedro (Cote d’Ivoire) vs HUSA (Morocco)
CAF Confederation Cup
‘Nzogbu Nzogbu’ Enyimba enyi as Enyimba limp into Confederation Cup Group stage!
It was not easy, but the end justified the means. Enyimba had to go through the lottery of penalty shoot-out to get into the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup on Sunday in Uyo after playing a barren draw with visiting Etoile Filante of Burkina Faso.
The first leg also ended goalless leading to penalty shoot-out as tie breaker. Enyimba won 3-2 on penalties.
Enyimba FC head coach Yemi Olarenwaju has set his sights on securing a crucial victory in Sunday’s second leg of the CAF Confederation Cup tie against Étoile Filante de Ouagadougou.
His confidence is built on the goalless draw in the first leg in Bamako.
“The job is far from over, and we can’t afford to celebrate yet. The return leg in Uyo will be crucial,” Olarenwaju was quoted by the club’s website as saying.
“We’ll go back to the drawing board, work harder, and prepare for the challenge ahead.”
Olarenwaju praised his team’s tactical edge and discipline, which nullified the hosts’ attacking threats. “We had a clear game plan, and the players executed it perfectly. Our tactical discipline prevented Étoile Filante de Ouagadougou from creating any meaningful scoring opportunities.”
The Enyimba FC boss acknowledged the tough opposition but remains confident in his team’s ability to secure a win at home.
“Étoile Filante de Ouagadougou is a formidable opponent, but we have the quality and determination to get the job done in Uyo.”
As we look forward to the return leg, we urge all Enyimba FC fans to come out in their numbers and support the team at the Uyo Stadium. Let’s make our home advantage count and cheer the People’s Elephant to victory!
Enyimba’s midfielder, Daniel Daga, has pledged to lead club to victory against Etoile Filante in the return leg of the CAF Confederation Cup second round on Sunday.
The People’s Elephant are looking to build on their impressive performance in the first leg, which ended in a goalless draw in Bamako, Mali. Despite creating several scoring opportunities, Enyimba were unable to find the back of the net.
However, Daga remains optimistic about their chances in the return leg having missed the first leg of the encounter due to a slight knock
“Our resolve is to win and advance to the group stages,” he stated confidently. “We understand that they are a difficult opponent, but we have just one task, which is to win, and that is exactly what we are going to do.”
A win for Enyimba FC would guarantee their spot in the group stages, a feat that would make them the only Nigerian team in the competition’s group phase.
“We know the importance of this match, and we’re ready to give it our all,” Daga added. “We want to make Nigeria proud and show that we’re a force to be reckoned with in African football.”
Head coach, Yemi Olarenwaju, has been fine-tuning his tactics, and the team is eager to execute their game plan.
“The first leg result gives us an advantage, but we won’t take anything for granted,” Olarenwaju said. “We’ll push for victory and secure our spot in the group stages.”
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