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CAF Confederation Cup

SUPER-SUB HABA EARNS HOROYA VITAL DRAW AT ENYIMBA

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Boniface Haba came off the bench to score a vital equalizer as Guinean giants Horoya held Nigeria’s Enyimba to a 1-1 draw in Aba on Sunday.

Augustine Oladapo had given the home side a first half lead with his third goal of the tournament, but Haba struck back with 20 minutes left for a significant away goal.

In a tightly contested tie, the opening minutes didn’t give much of attacking flair until the 18th when the home side broke the deadlock.

Off a quickly started freekick, Enyimba found the Horoya backline off guard with Oladapo taking one touch to set himself up before firing a vicious left foot strike.

Horoya had chances to draw back level with Alseny Camara coming close with a well taken curling effort from the left which evaded the target by inches.

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Aristide Bance lined up next for a chance when he was sent through on goal from the edge of the area but his shot didn’t gather enough sting as it rolled straight to keeper Theophilus Aphelokhai’s waiting arms.

Ghanaian Atta Agyei then did well to find space on the right before cutting back to Morlaye Sylla but his rasping shot was blocked by the defense.

At the stroke of halftime, Enyimba should have doubled their tally when they won a freekick at the edge of the box from good scoring range, but Victor Mbaoma sent the effort straight into the wall.

In the second half, Horoya started off with making changes 10 minutes in, Haba coming on for Bance while Sekou Camara limped off injured and was replaced by Tafadzwa Kutinyu.

The new legs added some firepower for Horoya and they drew level in the 70th minute when Haba beautifully bounced in a header into the bottom left after a pin point cross from Boubacar Samassekou on the right.

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The goal lifted Horoya’s spirits but they could not make that count into goals as their decision making failed them in the final third.

At the death, Enyimba would have grabbed the win, but Victor Mbaoma’s execution of a cross inside the box was awry, his attempt at bouncing a volley into the net not being effective as it was cleared away.

Heading into the return tie in Conakry next weekend, Horoya head back home with an away goal advantage and will hope to use it to claim a slot in the semi-finals.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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CAF Confederation Cup

‘Nzogbu Nzogbu’ Enyimba enyi as Enyimba limp into Confederation Cup Group stage!

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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.

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CAF Confederation Cup

CAF Confederation Cup: Enyimba target victory after Solid Showing in Bamako

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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.”

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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!

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CAF Confederation Cup

Enyimba’s midfielder, Daga confident of Confederation Cup group stage ticket

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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.

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“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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