First-Half Grit, Second-Half Pain: Enyimba Fall To Tornadoes In Minna

_..Redemption On The Road Still Beckons_

Enyimba FC’s quest for precious away points suffered another setback on Sunday as the People’s Elephant bowed 2–0 to Niger Tornadoes in their NPFL Matchday 22 clash at the Bako Kontagora Stadium, Minna.

It was a tale of two halves for Coach Deji Ayeni’s men. After a disciplined, composed and tactically sound first-half display that kept the hosts at bay, Enyimba went into the break level and very much in control, frustrating the ‘Bago Boys’ and silencing the Minna crowd.

However, the game turned on its head in the second stanza.

The deadlock was broken in the 67th minute when a momentary lapse in marking down the right flank allowed a low cross into the box. The ball unfortunately deflected off Shehu Dabani, wrong-footing goalkeeper Kelvin Ogunga and gifting Tornadoes the opening goal.

Stung by the setback, Enyimba pushed forward in search of an equaliser. Coach Ayeni rang the changes, introducing Edidiong Ezekiel, Wonah Williams and Nwaorisa Onyebuchi as the Aba giants threw men forward and piled on the pressure.

But just as Enyimba chased a way back, another defensive miscommunication proved costly. In the 88th minute, a long ball caught the centre-back pairing flat-footed, allowing Rickson Mendos a free run on goal to calmly slot home and seal all three points for the hosts.

The victory lifts Niger Tornadoes to 7th on the NPFL log with 32 points, while Enyimba remain 12th with 27 points—still searching for that elusive breakthrough on the road.

There is little time to dwell on the disappointment. The People’s Elephant must regroup quickly as attention shifts to Matchday 23, where another stern away test awaits on Wednesday against second-placed Nasarawa United in Lafia.

With character shown in Minna and lessons learned the hard way, Enyimba’s road to redemption continues—driven by belief, resilience and the hunger to bounce back stronger.