By Chigozie Chukwuleta
Enyimba FC’s Assistant coach, Ndubuisi Nduka, has described the team’s 1-2 home defeat to newly promoted Warri Wolves as “a very bitter pill to swallow” and “like a thunderbolt.”
The coach while speaking to journalists.after the game in Aba questioned where things went wrong as loss has left the team reeling.
The defeat doubles the shocking turnaround for Enyimba, who were on a strong run in the first seven weeks of league as coach Nduka acknowledged that the team had prepared well for the match, but somehow, things didn’t go according to plan.
“This is a very bitter pill, very difficult. I don’t know how to explain it . On a flashback I think of the performance of the boys from week one through to week seven and from week eight the whole thing is going into tatters”
After our game in Owerri where we lost to Khun Khalifat, when we had our meeting, the boys promised that they are going to get it right. We did everything right, prepared well, gave the boys sufficient rest. But look at it today. Football can be very funny sometimes . We have gotten the worst result”.
“We’ve played tougher matches here and still came out of it. But today, we didn’t quite get it right. We’ll take a hard look at our mistakes, identify the problems, and work on them.”
The loss is a significant setback for Enyimba, who will be looking to regroup and bounce back in their next match. Nduka remains optimistic about the team’s future, emphasizing that the end justifies the means and that they will come back stronger.
“We are not going to give up. We are going to take it up from the next match. We are going to talk to ourselves, know where we have gotten it wrong. It’s not something emotions will solve. We will look at the realities of the whole situation and find a solution. And l think we can find solutions. Whatever that is the problem, wherever it is coming from, we will sort it out. It is going to start showing from our next match”, he said
The Elephants’ series of scoring chances during the match were wasted with unproductive moves in the box.
The match took a dramatic turn in the 18th minute when Warri Wolves’ pressure paid off, and Enyimba defender Mohammed Hussaini inadvertently sent the ball into his own net, giving Wolves the early lead. However, Ezekiel Edidiong restored parity for Enyimba in the 27th minute, leveling the score at 1-1.
Despite second half efforts and creating of scoring opportunities which were neutralised by Warri Wolves effervescent drives, Enyimba’s woes deepened when Tejiri Emonena scored the winning goal for Warri Wolves in the 66th minute, burying the Elephants’ hopes of securing a win at home.
This loss marks a significant setback for Enyimba, who have been struggling since week seven. The team managed only a home draw against Rivers United before suffering two straight losses to newly promoted teams Khun Khalifat and now Warri Wolves, both away and home.
