Enyimba head coach Stanley Eguma has voiced his discontent with his team’s performance following their 1-1 draw with Al Masry at the Godswill Akpabio stadium on Sunday.
A combination of defensive lapses and goalkeeping mistakes proved costly for Enyimba, as Al Masry seized an early lead before Ihemekwele’s second-half equalizer.
Despite Ozoemena’s outstanding saves in the second half and Enyimba’s relentless pressure on the visitors, the team ultimately couldn’t overcome the damage inflicted in the opening 10 minutes.
In his post-match press conference, Eguma lamented that his team afforded the visitors too much respect during the game: “It was unfortunate that we couldn’t win the game because we prepared to win it. We trained very hard but unfortunately Al Masry came here to play the game of their lives. I think my players respected them too much, especially in the first half, we were lethargic in our approach,” the head coach said.
”The early goal demoralized us and most of our players haven’t played at this level so it affected them. The second half when we equalized, we had chances to win the game, but we faltered in front of goal,” he added.
Despite the setback, Eguma remained upbeat, noting that football is inherently unpredictable and that Enyimba’s fortunes can still change in the final group match: “For me it is not the end, we still have the next game to play. It’s football and you can never tell. Al Masry came here and played a great game, we can go to Egypt and do the same. We are still optimistic, it is not over until it is over.
The stage is set for a high-stakes showdown, where Enyimba must deliver a top-notch display against Zamalek and rely on Black Bulls Maputo to secure a favorable result, in order to keep their CAF Confederation Cup hopes alive.
© Bold Media Innovations & Creative Hub Limited. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.