Barau FC General Manager, Dominic Iorfa, has praised his players for their resilience after they secured a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Kun Khalifat in a EuroMatch Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, Matchday 2 encounter at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri.
Difficult Build-Up
Iorfa’s satisfaction was particularly significant given the challenging circumstances the team faced just hours before kick-off.
The Barau FC delegation arrived at Owerri Airport on Saturday, but their journey to the hotel was disrupted when the team bus reportedly developed a fault.
“We flew into Owerri Airport on Saturday, but while driving from the airport, our bus developed a problem and zig-zagged from one side of the road to the other,” Iorfa recalled.
The former Queens Park Rangers forward revealed that several players sustained varying degrees of injury during the incident, although the team chose not to make a major issue of it.
“Many of the players sustained varying degrees of injuries, but we didn’t want to make an issue out of it,” he explained, while showing a video of the incident on his mobile phone.
According to Iorfa, most of the players featured in the match despite carrying knocks from the incident.
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“Most of the players played the game with some level of injury. Thankfully, the injuries weren’t too serious, but such an incident could have affected the team psychologically.
“The players, however, remained strong and fought hard to secure a draw. We’re happy with the result.”
Iorfa Credits Luck And Resilience
Reflecting on the encounter, the former Lobi Stars of Makurdi boss admitted that Barau FC’s determination was complemented by a degree of fortune, particularly in defence.
“You saw how many times our defenders cleared the ball off the line? Three times,” he said.
“No matter how good your team is or how well you play in a game, luck is also very important. Today, I think luck was on our side. Otherwise, one of those chances could have been converted.”
Late Chance Goes Begging
Barau FC also had an opportunity to snatch all three points late in the encounter when winger Al Ameen Umar, a former El-Kanemi Warriors player who previously featured for Telecom Egypt, came close to finding the winning goal.
However, Umar fired narrowly over the crossbar when he appeared to have the option of sliding the ball towards the far post.
“We also had our chance to win, but it wasn’t to be. It wasn’t a bad result,” Iorfa concluded.
By Sab Osuji
