CAF Confederation Cup
IT’S INJURY TIME ESCAPE TO VICTORY FOR ENYIMBA!
Cyril Olisema scored as late as the 95th minute, as Nigeria’s Enyimba defeated South African visitors Orlando Pirates 1-0 in Aba on Wednesday night to top Group A of the 2020-21 CAF Confederation Cup.
With the score goalless five minutes into injury time, Enyimba was trailing the group on seven points, and with Algeria’s ES Setif leading at home 1-0 to Libya’s Ahly Benghazi at the same time, it was Pirates and Setif who are in the quarterfinals.
But Olisema scored a priceless goal that won Enyimba the game, and shifted his side from the group’s bottom to top, as they levelled Pirates on nine points but with a better head-to-head record on away goals’ rule. Setif tally stopped at eight to leave the tournament with broken hearts.
Enyimba and Pirates will now join the quarterfinals draw, scheduled in Cairo, Egypt on Friday 30 April. Ahly Benghazi trailed the thrilling group on seven points.
In Aba, visitors Pirates were happy to contain their hosts Enyimba for almost the entire game. The People’s Elephant – as Enyimba is nicknamed – threw everything in attack, knowing a single goal could guide them to the quarterfinals. But Pirates defense stood tall till the 95th minute.
But it was to be a very late drama, when substitute Tosin Omoyele found Olisema who scored the goal Enyimba needed, as they celebrated wildly with the final whistle.
Meanwhile in Setif, it was an early bizarre goal that gave the hosts victory. After a cross, the ball rebounded from Benghazi’s Ali Al Qomati’s hand, and while the referee was about to whistle a penalty, his assistant waved that the ball already crossed the goal line to give the hosts a second minute early lead.
Ahli Benghazi tried to find the equalizer but in vain. And while Setif thought that was enough to qualify with the final whistle going while it was still goalless in Aba, they were to have a very late heartbreak with Enyimba snatching the qualification ticket from their hands,
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.
CAF Confederation Cup
CAF Confederation Cup: Enyimba target victory after Solid Showing in Bamako
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!
CAF Confederation Cup
Enyimba’s midfielder, Daga confident of Confederation Cup group stage ticket
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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