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Enyimba! It’s not yet uhuru,
experts warn
Soccer pundits have appealed to Enyimba FC of Aba not to be complacent when they confront Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia in the second leg of the final of the CAF Champions League in Abuja on Sunday.
“With the 1-2 win advantage by the North Africans from first leg final, Enyimba must be careful not to concede a goal that can make their victory bid in the Abuja final an uphill task,’’ said Emeka Odikpo, a radio sports commentator in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
“Etoile du Sahel can spring a surprise in the second leg by scoring a goal that may be difficult to cancel.’’
Odipko urged lovers of Enyimba not to unduly praise them for managing to hold down the Tunisians to a 1-2 scoreline. “If anything, fans should keep criticising them until the match is played’’.
“It appears that it is only when they are criticised that they strive to spring surprises. I must, however, admit that Enyimba still remains one of the best teams in the championship, but should avoid complacency in order to triumph.’’
Isa Idris, secretary, Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON), said he had initially written off Enyimba but was happy that they made it to the final.
“I want home fans to be allowed to attend their training sessions so that they can get used to their reactions.’’
Dipo Okubanjo of The Comet warns Enyimba not to allow Etoile to score first, because that could turn out a costly mistake.
“Enyimba must work to score first so as boost morale.”
Okubanjo wants the team’s technical crew to include its second goalkeeper, Dele Aiyenugba the man who saved them against Esperance in the start list instead of starting with Vincent Enyeama.
According to him, Enyeama, the number one goalkeeper, did not appear to have the required confidence to man the post in crucial games.
“I am afraid of what the North Africans are capable of doing during the match. Enyimba must be careful by avoiding hard tackles during the match as their opponents are capable of cashing in on that to destablise their team strategy,’’ said John Dadi, a senior lecturer with National Institute for Sports.
“I am optimistic that if they play their natural game, victory will certainly come their way,’’ he added.
Sunday’s game will be the fifth between Enyimba and Etoile this year.
They met for the Super Cup and twice in the preliminaries of the ongoing CAF Champions League and now the two-legged final.
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