Enyimba Head Coach, Stanley Eguma has admitted that his players showed too much respect to their Al Masry counterparts in Sunday’s CAF Confederation Cup Group D matchday 5 fixture, which ended in a 1-1 draw at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Completesports.com reports.
Mohamed Hashem silenced the home crowd with an eighth-minute goal, heading in from Al Masry’s first short corner of the game from the left-hand side.
Enyimba endured sustained pressure from the Egyptians and managed to limit the damage until the half-time whistle.
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Ifeanyi Ihemekwele restored parity for the People’s Elephant in the 47th minute, heading home after a swift attacking combination inside Al Masry’s area. The match ultimately became a night of headed goals.
The result leaves Enyimba’s chances of qualifying for the knockout stages hanging in the balance. Zamalek, who lead the group with 11 points, secured their quarter-final spot with a 3-1 victory over Black Bulls of Mozambique in Maputo, also on Sunday.
Reflecting on the game, Eguma lamented that his players gave their North African opponents too much freedom.
“We respected the Al Masry players too much,” the former Rivers United coach told Completesports.com.
“We allowed them too much time and space with the ball, and that gave them the freedom to make decisions.
“I also think our players were too lethargic, especially in the first half. Of course, the early goal we conceded demoralised them. But after our half-time talk, we stepped up, got the equaliser, and had plenty of opportunities to seal the game. Unfortunately, we were too wasteful in front of goal.”
With five points, Enyimba must defeat Zamalek in their matchday 6 encounter on Sunday while hoping Black Bulls edge Al Masry in their tie on the same day.
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Eguma remains hopeful about Enyimba’s chances in the competition.
“It’s not over yet. We still have another game to play in Egypt against Zamalek. We just need to give our best to win and see what happens in the other game,” Eguma stated.
“If Al Masry can come here and play the game of their lives, there’s no reason we can’t go to Egypt and get an even better result, regardless of the other match’s outcome.
“We’re optimistic. It’s not over until it’s truly over.”
Eguma also revealed that injuries to key players hindered Enyimba’s performance.
“Yes, we missed some experienced players due to injuries,” Eguma said. “Players like Eze Ekwutoziam, Clinton Jephta, Daniel Daga, Chibuike Nwaiwu, and Ikenna Cooper were unavailable.”
Enyimba resumed training in Uyo on Monday and will remain there until Tuesday before travelling to Owerri. From there, the team will fly to Lagos on Wednesday en route to Egypt for their decisive clash against Zamalek.
By Sab Osuji
