Enyimba FC staged a spirited comeback but ultimately suffered a 4-2 defeat to Katsina United in their Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Matchday 8 encounter at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium on Friday.
The People’s Elephant endured a difficult start, conceding twice within the opening 12 minutes. An unfortunate back pass from Emeka Onyema in the sixth minute slipped beyond goalkeeper Dare Dede and crossed the goal line, handing the hosts an early lead.
Katsina United doubled their advantage six minutes later when Mubarak Sani unleashed a powerful long-range effort past the Enyimba defence.
The Aba-based side had an opportunity to respond in the 10th minute, but Katsina goalkeeper Francis Koroma denied Idris Abubakar’s effort from distance.
Enyimba went into the break trailing 2-0 and faced a tougher challenge when Luis Dadong headed home Katsina’s third goal in the 60th minute.
However, the visitors refused to give up. Michael Chidera pulled one back in the 67th minute, finishing off a delivery from Obichere to reduce the deficit to 3-1.
The comeback gathered momentum nine minutes later when Egbe Charles rose above his marker to convert a flick from Richard Ezinwa, making it 3-2 and giving Enyimba renewed hope of salvaging a point.
With the visitors pushing forward in search of an equaliser, Katsina United exploited the space behind their defence. Umar Rabiu capitalised on a counterattack in the 80th minute to score the hosts’ fourth goal and seal the 4-2 victory.
Despite the defeat, Enyimba’s second-half response demonstrated their attacking potential and determination to fight back from a difficult position.
The result, however, left the Aba giants without the reward their late rally had threatened to deliver.
