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CAF Confederation Cup

HOW FOUR-STAR PYRAMIDS FELL ENYIMBA IN CAIRO

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Ibrahim Adel stepped off the bench to score a second half brace as Pyramids FC came from a goal down to beat Nigeria’s Enyimba 4-1 in the first leg of the Total CAF Confederation Cup quarter final in Cairo on Sunday.

Victor Mbaoma had given the visitors a first minute lead, but Pyramids, finalists in last season’s edition, bounced back with Ramadhan Sobhi and skipper Abdallah Said scoring before Adel’s brace sealed the vital first leg victory.

Mbaoma broke the deadlock very early on, taking advantage of a goalkeeping mess from Sheriff Ekramy. The shot stopper attempted to play some fancy footwork to evade Mbaoma, but the forward pinched the ball from under his feet and scored.

Pyramids however went back on level terms before halftime, and it was thanks to another blunder at the back, this time Enyimba defender Nelson Ogbonnaya with the mistake. Sobhi pounced in as the defender attempted to make a turn at the edge of the box before gliding past the keeper and tapping into an empty net.

In the second half, Pyramids stepped up and just four minutes in they had taken the lead when skipper Said planted the ball into the bottom left off a Sobhi lay off.

The home side should have been 3-1 up five minutes later, but Eric Traore saw his point blank effort saved by the keeper after connecting to a Mohamed Sharaf cross from the left.

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But, they were stretching away in the 58th minute and did so in style with Adel’s brilliant goal. The substitute scored with a well taken overhead kick when he adjusted his body superbly to connect to an Ahmed Fathy cross from the right.

They sealed their victory in the 66th minute when Adel completed his brace after Sobhi played him through when the Enyimba defense struggled to clear a cross ball.

From then on, it was easy go for the Egyptians as they kept the possession, Enyimba struggling to gain the ball and make any meaningful foray of attack.

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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