Posted by By Tony Ubani on
A 2-0 victory against Raja Casablanca yesterday at the Aba Township Stadium moved Enyimba from the bottom of their group to the second position, some relief for their teeming fans who now are full of hope that the defending champions can still have a shot at the continental diadem that they are gunning for a third consecutive win.
A 2-0 victory against Raja Casablanca yesterday at the Aba Township Stadium moved Enyimba from the bottom of their group to the second position, some relief for their teeming fans who now are full of hope that the defending champions can still have a shot at the continental diadem that they are gunning for a third consecutive win.
But they showed that the cup is still far away. They did not display the stuff that could make technocrats rate them as favourites. They were still losing balls easily. They freely passed the ball to opponents and were careless a couple of times in their goal area. They created chances for Raja but the North Africans who beat them with ten men two weeks ago failed to convert those chances. Three of such chances were very close and the fans had their hearts in their mouths.
Aerially, they lost every contention in the opponents goal area and in their own half too. In every cross Raja played their attackers reached the ball before Enyimba players. But it wasn't just their day. You don't play the way Enyimba played and expect to win the cup again.
Especially now that Al Ahli and the likes of Etoil of Tunisia are playing very well. The standard of the game between Ajax Capetown and Ahli just before the Enyimba match was higher than what Enyimba and Raja displayed. Enyimba must up their game for them to have another run for the cup this year. And Ghana's Joetex Fripong raised the fans' hope with his two strikes that made him hero of yesterday's game. The first was in the 35th minute and the second was in the 49th minute.
The two goals came off sheer display of skill from the striker. Enyimba are yet to start making direct attempts at goal the way they did in the years that they won the trophy. And it is a flaw that the coaches must work on. And it is a fact the entire team must note and correct for them to surge on.
While Nigerians were celebrating Enyimba's victory, it was no pleasant story for Nigerian athletes at the World Championships in Helsinki.
No Nigerian athlete was in the final of the 100m won by Justin Gatlin in 9.89 seconds. Enduarance struggled with 11.33 to place fourth in the quarter finals of the women's race. That qualified her for the semifinal today. That's the best Nigerian has gotten so far in the championship where Ghana's Margaret Simpson has already won a bronze in the Hepthatlon.