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| Enyimba |
Enyimba captain, Mfon Udoh led from
the front as he won and expertly-dispatched a well-taken penalty in the second
half to give his side a 1-0 win over Rivers United in the Nigeria Professional
Football League (NPFL) on Sunday.
The UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabar was
the venue for the well-fought contest which saw the hosts dominate the early
exchanges.
United however enjoyed the first
real opening of the half when Nzube Anaezemba latched onto Guy Kuemian’s
quickly-taken free kick but fired over, from a tight angle, with just the
Enyimba goalkeeper, Joel Theophilus Afelokhai.
Enyimba should have scored on the
stroke of half time when Ismaila Gata struck a fierce low effort which the
Rivers United goalkeeper did well to stop.
The visitors enjoyed the first
chance of the second period; an enthralling team move which involved Lukman
Mohammed, Kuemian and Esosa Igbinoba.
Igbinoba struck well enough from the
edge of the box but was denied by an exemplary stop by Afelokhai.
Udoh then won a penalty for the home
side just after the hour mark and struck well enough, into the top left hand
corner from 11 metres, to leave Rotimi with no chance.
Emeka Atuloma almost rescued a point
for United at the death as he met a Bolaji Sakin corner with a fierce header
which the busy Afelokhai scrambled to save.
Enyimba’s head coach, Gbenga
Ogunbote spoke about his happiness at his side’s ability to amass maximum
points.
“It was a hard-earned victory. We
never expected a cheap one because even if they have been knocked out of the
(Caf) Champions League, it does not make them a bad side.
“You should not forget that they recruited
for the continent so it wasn’t a bad one,” he said after the game.
Technical manager of Rivers United,
Stanley Eguma also spoke to the media after the game.
“It was a good game; we played a
good game.
“It’s just that we missed our
chances and the pitch also affected our game.
“The pitch is very bumpy and not
playable. We have lost today and have to look forward to other games.
“We must try to get back to winning
ways and improve our position on the log,” he said to the official Rivers United
website, www.riversunitedfc.com.ng.
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