Ukaegbu Rues Poor Finishing As Enyimba Fall Narrowly To Elkanemi In Maiduguri

Enyimba FC Head Coach, Lawrence Ukaegbu, has attributed his side’s narrow 3–2 defeat to Elkanemi Warriors to poor marksmanship in front of goal, despite what he described as a highly competitive and entertaining NPFL Matchday 18 encounter in Maiduguri on Sunday.

The People’s Elephant were made to pay for defensive lapses and missed opportunities as the Desert Warriors raced into a two-goal lead in the first half. Elkanemi opened the scoring in the 29th minute after the referee adjudged Enyimba captain, Paschal Eze, to have handled the ball inside the box, allowing Daddy Abdulrahman to calmly convert from the penalty spot. 

Emmanuel Jonas doubled the hosts’ advantage ten minutes later with a well-taken finish in the 39th minute.

Enyimba responded positively and reduced the deficit just before the break when galloping centre-back, Mohammed Hussaini, rose highest to nod home a corner kick in the 43rd minute, restoring belief in the nine-time champions.

However, hopes of a dramatic comeback were dented early in the second half when a goalkeeping error gifted Elkanemi their third goal in the 54th minute. 

Despite the setback, Enyimba refused to fold, with the introduction of Atule Joseph, Onyebuchi Nwaorisa and veteran forward Stanley Dimgba injecting renewed energy and attacking intent with stability in the middle from Henry Ndedi.

Sustained pressure from the Aba giants paid off when Nwaorisa latched onto a perfectly weighted through pass from Kalu Nweke to fire home Enyimba’s second goal, setting up a tense finish. 

The People’s Elephant created several clear chances thereafter but were left to rue their wastefulness as Elkanemi held on for all three points.

Speaking after the game, Coach Ukaegbu lamented his team’s inability to make their dominance count in the final third;

“It was a good game but for the errors at the back which allowed them cheap goals,” Ukaegbu said.

“I think they were lucky to escape defeat because if we had converted the chances we created, it would have been the other way round.”

The former Nigerian international remained optimistic about his team’s progress going into the second half of the season.

“We will go back and work on those lapses. I am confident we will continue to improve on our goal scoring and get better in the second round,” he concluded.

The defeat sees Enyimba FC drop to ninth position on the NPFL table. The People’s Elephant will look to end the first stanza of the season on a positive note when they host Shooting Stars Sports Club, 3SC of Ibadan on Sunday at the Enyimba International Stadium, Aba.