Draw
By Nicholas Obisike
Aba (Abia) June 12, 2024 (NAN) Enyimba International FC of Aba on Wednesday suffered another setback in the ongoing Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), when they drew 1-1 with visiting Bayelsa United.
In the Match Day 36 fixture of the NPFL, Enyimba’s Alade Balogun raised the hope of the teeming Aba fans when he finished off Chijioke Mbaoma’s pass in the 20th minute to give them an early lead.
However, the team’s celebration was shortlived as Ekeson Okorie’s close range shot beat Enyimba’s goalkeeper Ani Ozomena to level scores at 1-1 in the 35th minute.
In a post-match interview, Olanrewaju Yemi, the coach of Enyimba, said the frustration his players suffered following the Match Day 35 fixture against Rangers International FC of Enugu on Sunday affected their psyche.
According to him, the development caused them their dream against the visitors.
Yemi said: “I know that it is going to affect us because we were slow in the first half.
“After all the fight in Enugu, I had to motivate the players and let them know that it was not yet over.
“This is our worst performance so far in the league.
“Had it been that our play did not improve after the first 45 minutes, we would have lost the match.
“We were slow in the first half and improved our game in the second half.
“Our players were down when they learnt that their effort in Enugu was frustrated.
“The players never expected the deduction of three points and three goals and that caused a setback to the team,” Yemi said.
His Bayelsa United counterpart, Meremu Okara, praised his players for executing their game plan, describing the point as a good one for his team.
“I know that Enyimba have experienced players and have always been a good team but it is a good result for us to have picked a point against a good team like Enyimba.
“It would have been difficult for us to beat them, even though the chance came for us to wrap up the game. But a draw is still a good result for us,” Okara said.
He gave assurance that his team would do everything possible to escape relegation.
The coach said the result in Aba showed that his team had the capacity to retain their top league status.
“Let’s see how we get over Shooting Stars in our next match, because that may determine our fate of escaping relegation on the final day of the league,” Okara said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Enyimba occupy third position with 60 points, while Bayelsa United rose to the 16th position with 44 points after 36 matches.
Bayelsa could still be relegated to the Nigeria National League (NNL) as they are being trailed by Sporting Lagos and Doma United, who occupy the 17th and 18th positions respectively with 43 points apiece.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
NUO/USO
Edited by Sam Oditah
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