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Etoile, Enyimba in Souse shoot-out: Enyimba in history chase
Uzor Odigbo
Correspondent
When former IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan and Enugu Rangers International
won the first ever-continental trophy (African Winners Cup), as it was then
known in 1976/77. Nigerians shouted hurray.
The dust the landmark achievement raised did not
settle for quiet a long time as it took another good effort from Enyimba (the
winner of the first Nigeria’s Africa Champions League cup) for dust to
completely settle.
The history chasing Aba Elephants is at it again, but
this time, it would be which team in Africa would win the cup Back-to-Back for
the first time as no team in Africa had achieved the feat.
The mentor of the team and governor of Abia State,
chief Orji-Uzor Kalu had in the wake of the team’s first victory said,
Enyimba would win the cup again. Many people thought, the governor was
blabbing. Alas! The reality of his statement is about to happen.
Enyimba will go down in the annals of Nigeria and
Africa as the first team to contend in the finals of the most prestigious cup
in the continent as defending champions. Again, if the team happily wins the
trophy for a record second time, it would also be counted in its favour as
very historic as no club in the
continent had done so in recent past. Etoile, on its own is hoping to become
the only African clubside to have won all three continental club trophies after
its previous triumph in the Cup Winners Cup and CAF Cup.
No wonder a few Enyimba players on arrival at the
Muritala Mohammed Airport from their victorious outing against Esperance
exhumed such air of confidence that had been seen in them in the past. The
confidence they attributed to precedence.
The number goalkeeper of the team Vincent Enyeama on
arrival from Tunisia told Saturday Independent that “Enyimba should rather
start celebrating the second continental cup” this remark was curious in
the sense a party had commenced when mountain is still ahead. Obinna Nwaneri also corroborated
Enyeama. According to them, them Tunisian teams play similar pattern that could
easily be decoded. The players gave insight on how Enyimba had succeeded in
their away matches. Nwaneri said, at times, players on the pitch would read
what the opponents were playing and change pattern to sooth the situation.
Against another Tunisian side Etoile, Nwaneri said,
the game would be won in Tunisia, but would be tough. “Etoile would throw
everything at us, they are not new to us. We shall go for every move they make
and pray that should there be any goal in course of the match, the margin
should not be wide against us”
Enyimba’s coach Okey Emordi an ex-Rangers
international player could pass as someone destined to cave a notch for himself
as a coach that has all it could take to stir a team like the Aba Elephants to
their Africa Champions League Back-to-Back victory.
Against Etoile de sahel of Tunisia in today’s
first final of the league in Tunisia, Emordi will also roll out his usual
attacking formation that destroyed Esperance a fourth night ago.
In an interview with the coach shortly before he
engaged Esperance, he sounded like one who had already known everything about
his opponent, but only waiting for the match to begin to unleash his technical
superiority.
Emordi however admitted the enormous task ahead in
Tunisia and concluded that the team will be ready to soak-in the pressure from
the opponent he described as credible opponents.
“We are close to the history now. The task of
turning the table against a formidable and experienced opponent is a huge one.
But we are prepared. The team have been well motivated all-round to do the
nation proud again” It
was also a common knowledge that Enyimba’s players soon after they
conquered Esperance started singing victory songs against Etoile. This, the
coach said was normal as it was capable of boosting players moral before an
important match.
The coach affirmed that packaging a team that had
experienced fame; money and stardom could never be easy. “This team is
aspiring to repeat history. As a coach, I battle players who already see
themselves as stars and with the cup on sight, the stage becomes frightening as
both players and Nigerians are expecting nothing but victory in Tunis”
Again, in a recent interview coach Emordi was
confident that the absence of key players in the Esperance match won’t
occur again as he has full compliment of players that have recuperated from
injuries for the Etoile encounter.
“I now have players who can do the job, what we
are working on now is on their speed level. The kind of attacking formations I
will unleash is not such that unfit player can withstand. It’s going to
be a total commitment of mobility without leaving our rear wide open. When
Enyimba won the cup last year, the coaches then played three central defenders,
which means he wanted to soak-in pressure and unveil a surprise attack on the
opponent. This time around, I’m not going to do that; it would be an all
out attack with an eye at the back. You can’t have your back against the
ocean without pushing forward to gain ground”
The euphoria in camp depicts a team that is itching
to make history, another factor that may hinder Enyimba from good success in
Tunisia maybe the over reliance on the team’s good away record. Most
players are heavily relying on this thing call “away record” to
fool around. The coach was cautious when this poser was thrown at him “I
don’t believe in away record. I’m concerned with the result of
today not yesterday. The good away record of the team may be a big factor for
the opponent, but when you realize that we are not meeting the same opponent
with the same strategy or match plan, away record of any team becomes a burden
not an advantage. Of course, Enyimba won’t depend on her good away record
today”
What are the prospects in Etoile’s camp. What
are the players saying about today’s match.
Nigerian players on the Tunisian side are not keeping
quiet, In fact, they have so
vocally made their feelings known in many ways. For instance, Emeka Oparah, Austin Ejide, Ugochukwu
Obiakor and Chukwuma Nwoha have vowed to cut short Enyimba's dream of winning
the competition back to back saying that God ordained this year for them.
The threat is real and must be taken seriously. Ask
Julius Berger FC of Lagos and you will understand that the fear of Etoile
threat is indeed the beginning of wisdom. They warned Berger but the players
and officials never took them serious. But, they realised too late and paid
dearly for it. Oparah who became the toast of the Souse based team for his goal
scoring instinct in the competition said after their 3 - 0 white washing of
Senegalese representatives that nothing would stop them from winning the title
this year. "The cup will come back to Sousse. We have played Enyimba
before and we know how to handle them. Being born and brought up in Aba, I am a
supporter of Enyimba. But, I must give my best to ensure that Etoile is
victorious in this competition. I can understand that my countrymen want
Enyimba to win the title but I am a professiuonal and I must deliver for the
club that pays my wages".
Oparah said that the competition has gone beyond
patriotism and nationalism. "It could be painful when one finds himself in
this situation but the truth is that I am a professional and first and foremost
an Etoile player. I owe the team every obligation to bang in the goals in the final
leg. I thank God I have been in electrifying form and I pray to remain this way
till the last day. If that happens, I can assure you that there is no way
Enyimba will escape being humiliated before Nigerians. And the unfortunate
thing is that Nigerian players will be doing the damage. There is no emotions
here. This is football and we are paid to do what we are doing. That is why I
said that there is no emotions about this thing. We are Nigerians but we will
do everything to stop Enyimba this year. It is sad that fate brought us
together and we are going to stop at nothing in ensuring that we take the cup
back to Souse." Oparah said after helping Etoile to beat Jean d Arc last
Sunday in Souse.
The tough talking striker who starred for Enyimba
before seeking greener pasture in Tunisia, already knows how sweet victory
tastes. "We have a good team that has played together for a long time now.
The fans back home are eager to drink from the cup this year and they expect
nothing but victory from us. We can not afford to disappoint them. Our players
are looking up to the match with great expectations. We saw the reaction of our
supporters the day we qualified for the final and we imagined what will happen
on the final day.".
The two teams first met last year at the Aba Township
Stadium in the champion of champions match. Enyimba won the trophy by a lone
goal. However, when both teams met again in the league stage of the Champions
League, Etoile snatched four points from the two legged meeting. Enyimba
conceded a heart -breaking goal at the dot of regulation time in Souse while
splitting the points in Aba in the second leg. Both teams have engaged
themselves in war of words since their qualification for this year's grand
finale. While Enyimba is counting on their wealth of experience and
unassailable away record, Etoile rely heavily on their thirst for the title.
They also count on Nigerian exports who claim to know Enyimba inside out and
have therefore vowed to deliver the title to the Tunisians.
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