MISSED CHANCES HAUNT ELEPHANTS IN ORIENTAL DERBY STALEMATE

Enyimba FC were left to rue a catalogue of missed opportunities as the People’s Elephant were held to a 1-1 draw by Kun Khalifat FC in a fiercely contested NPFL Matchday 28 Oriental Derby at the Enyimba International Stadium, Aba, on Sunday.

In a pulsating closed-door encounter that had all the intensity of a derby, it was the visitors from Owerri who struck first against the run of play. James Ekebuike latched onto a long ball in the 38th minute, catching the Enyimba backline off guard to hand the Pride of Imo a shock lead.

Before that setback, Enyimba had thought they had broken the deadlock when Daniel Okere forced a defensive error that saw the ball end up in the net, only for the effort to be ruled out for handball. The nine-time champions continued to pile on the pressure, creating waves of attacking moves, narrowly missing gilt edged chances while also seeing penalty appeals waved away.

The breakthrough eventually came in the 85th minute. Ekene Awazie reacted quickest after Salman Abubakar’s curly strike was parried by the Khalifat goalkeeper, smashing home the rebound to restore parity and ignite late hopes of a dramatic winner.

Despite a late onslaught, the decisive second goal proved elusive as both sides settled for a share of the spoils.

Speaking after the encounter, Enyimba Technical Adviser, Coach Emmanuel Deutsch Gustavo, did not hide his frustration.

“It’s very painful. We missed so many opportunities, it could have been up to four goals in the first half,” Deutsch lamented.

“When you miss so many goals, they had one opportunity and they put it inside the net. Coming back is difficult.”

The Cameroonian tactician also pointed to game management issues that disrupted the flow of play.

“We couldn’t play more than 60 minutes of football. The goalkeeper wasted more than 22 minutes and he wasn’t cautioned. But we can’t question anybody, rather we have to work hard. We can still collect the missed points from an away game.”

Deutsch maintained that derby matches are often unpredictable, noting that the relatively new Khalifat side came determined to prove a point against a club of Enyimba’s stature.

While expressing concern over what he described as excessive time wasting and rough play, the former Abia Warriors coach reaffirmed his belief in his team’s quality and resolve to bounce back stronger.

Attention now shifts to Matchday 29 as the People’s Elephant travel to Ozoro for a crucial showdown against Warri Wolves on Sunday, a fresh opportunity to reclaim the points that slipped away in Aba.