Enyimba FC’s impressive five-match unbeaten streak came to a grinding halt on Thursday as league leaders Remo Stars FC edged them 2-0 in a pulsating NPFL Matchday 31 clash at the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne.
Goals from Adebayo Olamilakan in the 28th minute and Samson Olasupo in the 67th minute sealed victory for the Sky Blue Stars, dealing a huge blow to the People’s Elephant’s continental ambitions. Despite Enyimba creating several goal-scoring chances, poor finishing proved to be their undoing, with Christian Nnaji and Mujeeb Odufeso failing to capitalize in front of goal.
Speaking after the game, Enyimba’s head coach, Stanley Eguma, admitted his side paid the price for their wastefulness in attack but remained defiant about their continental hopes.
“Actually, it wasn’t the result we hoped for. We came here with a game plan to, at worst, pick a point, but it turned otherwise. We had the chances to score before their goal came, but our inability to convert our chances was our bane today. If we had converted ours, we would have even gotten three goals today,” Eguma lamented.
The experienced tactician, however, refused to dwell on the setback, urging his players to stay focused on the remaining fixtures.
“We have to go back and work on our conversion rate because, at this stage in the league, you don’t make such mistakes. We will keep playing, taking it one match at a time. It’s football—you never know what can happen. We will keep fighting until it’s over.”
Enyimba midfielder Chinedu Ufere echoed his coach’s sentiments, acknowledging the team’s profligacy but remaining optimistic about their chances of securing a continental ticket.
“Our hope coming here was to get something, especially since we had picked points on the road in our last two away games. We had our chances but couldn’t utilize them, while they took theirs and made it count.”
With just a few points separating them from the top spots, Ufere believes Enyimba can still bounce back.
“As you can see, the gap on the log is not much. All we need to do is keep our heads up and keep fighting for maximum points. Hopefully, we can be there.”
With the race for continental football heating up, Enyimba must regroup quickly and make their chances count in the remaining fixtures if they are to reclaim their place among Africa’s elite clubs.
