Enyimba kicked off November with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Kun Khalifat in their Oriental Derby clash on Sunday, courtesy of Tobi Iyanda’s 15th-minute strike.
The visitors threatened first, with Onuoha Uchechukwu delivering a dangerous cross in the opening minute that Oparaocha failed to connect with. But Enyimba quickly seized control, with Obichere causing problems down the flank.
The breakthrough came on 15 minutes when Obichere beat his markers and sent a low cross into the box for Iyanda to slot home.
The People’s Elephant had a golden chance to double the lead five minutes later after Ameh handled in the box, but goalkeeper Esomchi dived right to deny Ihemekwele from the spot. Enyimba’s momentum was briefly disrupted by injuries, with Idris Abubakar forced off with a shoulder problem for Suraj Ibrahim, while Richards also went down.
Enyimba started the second half brightly, but Ganiu’s setup for Ihemekwele a minute after the restart was ruled out for offside. Obichere was denied by Esomchi in the 54th minute, while Ganiu fired inches wide after being teed up by Iyanda.
Ganiu again carved open the visitors’ defence with a pass to substitute Chidera Michael, but Esomchi was quick off his line to clear. At the other end, Ameh produced a crucial tackle in the 79th minute to stop Ganiu from racing through on goal.
There was late concern for Chibueze Damian after a head collision, but he recovered to see out the game.
The win gives Enyimba a perfect start to November as they turn their attention to Sunday’s trip to Ranchers Bees in Kaduna.
