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Tag: Enyimba

  • Doping: Enyimba captain Oladapo in shock over CAF’s suspension

    Doping: Enyimba captain Oladapo in shock over CAF’s suspension

    Contrary to reports by CAF that Enyimba captain Austin Oladapo failed a dope test during a CAF Confederations Cup game against Pyramid of Egypt, the midfielder has revealed that he is in shock as he only took pain-killer as prescribed by his club doctor.

    Recall that on Monday, Oladapo was handed a one-year ban by CAF from all football activities after his test sample returned positive for a banned substance.

    However, in an interview with Brila.net, Oladapo stated that the club will appeal the CAF ruling considering the fact that it has never been his nature to drink or smoke.

    He noted that he’s confident the decision will be overturned at the end of the day.

    “It came to me as a shock. I wasn’t expecting this from CAF. I’ve done this dope test four times. I did it in the national team at the CHAN, with Enyimba twice and I have always been confident that I will never fail a test”.

    “I don’t drink or smoke, it’s not my lifestyle. I only took a drug prescribed by the club doctor, a pain relief medication, which the club doctor prescribed and he presented the same to CAF.”

  • Enyimba topple Orlando Pirates to advance into CAF Confederation Cup quarter-finals

    Enyimba topple Orlando Pirates to advance into CAF Confederation Cup quarter-finals

    Enyimba International Football Club of Aba advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2020/2021 CAF Confederation Cup alongside visiting Orlando Pirates of South Africa on Wednesday.

    Cyril Olisema’s goal in added time of second half gave Enyimba a 1-0 win at the Enyimba International Stadium in Aba.

    The win ensured Enyimba upstaged the South African side at the top of Group A table to advance as group winners on head-to-head advantage.

    Enyimba had lost 1-2 to Orlando Pirates when they met on Match Day 2 of the competition, but Wednesday’s 1-0 win was enough advantage for the Aba side.

    Both sides had finished on nine points each after six matches, but head-to-head calculation came in to separate both sides.

    They both go into Friday’s quarter-finals draw to know their next opponents.

    The other qualifiers for the quarter-finals are Raja Casablanca of Morocco, Coton Sport of Cameroon, JS Kabylie of Algeria, ASC Jaraaf of Senegal, CS Sfaxien of Tunisia and Pyramids of Egypt.

  • Ahly Benghazi beat Enyimba to unsettle CAF Confederation Cup’s Group A

    Ahly Benghazi beat Enyimba to unsettle CAF Confederation Cup’s Group A

    Ahly Benghazi football club of Libya beat visiting Enyimba International 1-0 yesterday to ensure Group A of the 2020/2021 CAF Confederation Cup will go to the wire on the final Match Day,

    Aba-based Nigerian side had needed a win to lead the group into Match Day 6, but Ahly’s win meant next Wednesday’s games will now be crucial to quarter-final qualification.

    In the rescheduled Match Day 5 fixture played at the Benina Martyrs stadium in Benghazi, Ahly pushed from the first minute.

    They were aiming for the maximum points which would give them the hope of reaching the quarter-finals.

    But they had to wait till the 40th minute to take the lead through Mutassim El Taib.

    The Libyan right winger received Aboubakr Meeld pass and sent a powerful shot past Enyimba goalkeeper John Noble to give his side a deserved lead.

    After the break, Enyimba threw everything in attack looking for the equaliser, but Ahly Benghazi’s goalkeeper Murad Alweehi came to his side’s rescue on several occasions.

    Enyimba had to finish the game with 10 men, after Timothy Danladi was sent off after 75 minutes.

    Victory ensured that Ahly Benghazi rose to Group A second place on seven points, two less than group leaders Orlando Pirates of South Africa.

    Enyimba follow in third place with six points, while Algeria’s ES Setif trail the group with five.

    With all four sides still hopeful of a place in the quarter-finals draw set for April 30, the final Match Day on Wednesday is now very crucial.

    Enyimba will take on Orlando Pirates in Aba, needing a clear victory to dislodge the South Africans and pick a quarter-final ticket.

    ES Setif welcome Ahly Benghazi in Setif, with the former needing more than a win to advance, while the Libyan side need to win too to secure top place.

  • CAF Confed Cup: Enyimba Beat Setif To Record Second Win

    CAF Confed Cup: Enyimba Beat Setif To Record Second Win

    Enyimba’s captain, Austin Oladapo, and striker, Tosin Omoyele, scored a goal each to give the Nigerian side a 2-1 victory over Algeria’s Entente Setif on matchday 3 of the CAF Confederation Cup in Aba, a town in Abia State.

    Monsef Bakrar shot the visitors into the lead in the 13th minute after poor communication between Enyimba’s defenders.

    Three minutes later, the hosts were awarded a penalty after Omoyele was brought down in the area.

    Oladapo stepped up to it but goalkeeper Sofiane Khedairia produced a fine safe to stop him and kept Setif’s lead.

    Just before the break, Oladapo made amends for his miss after Omoyele gave a short pass to Dayo Ojo who laid it a sweet one for the incoming captain (Oladapo) who unleashed a shot with his left foot to beat goalkeeper Khedairia.

    That goal calmed the nerves of coach Fatai Osho and his technical crew as they went into the break with a levelled score-line.When action resumed in the second half, Enyimba took control of the game with Anayo Iwuala producing productive runs that cracked the walls of Setif’s defence.

    In the 60th minute, it was the same Iwuala who dazzled, confused the visitors’ defenders and placed a fine pass to Omoyele to score the second goal for the People’s Elephant.

    With the victory, Enyimba have regained leadership of the Group A table with six points, pending the outcome of the match between Ahli Benghazi and Orlando Pirates scheduled to hold later on Sunday night.

    The champions of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) will play Setif again in a matchday 4 fixture on Sunday next week.

  • CAF Confederation Cup: Enyimba defeat Al-Ahli Benghazi in group opener

    CAF Confederation Cup: Enyimba defeat Al-Ahli Benghazi in group opener

    Enyimba International Football Club of Aba on Wednesday began their CAF Confederation Cup group stage campaign on a positive note with a 2-1 win over Al-Ahli Benghazi of Libya in Aba.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that goals from Enyimba’s Captain Austin Oladapo and Victor Mbaoma as well as a consolation goal from Imhamed Abd’Allah for the visitors saw the hosts record their first win in Group A.

    Oladapo had put the Elephants ahead in the 10th minute, but the visitors hit back eight minutes later through Abd’Allah’s spot kick.

    Mbaoma however restored the hosts’ lead with what proved to be the winner in the 43rd minute as Enyimba held on to claim all three points in their group opener.

    Two-time CAF Champions League winners Enyimba are attempting to be the first Nigerian side to win the competition.

    The result sees Enyimba move top of Group A with ES Setif of Algeria set to take on Orlando Pirates of South Africa later today in the group’s other game.

    The Peoples Elephants would be the guests of Orlando Pirates at the Orlando Stadium on March 17.

    The top two teams in each group will qualify for the quarter finals.

  • Enyimba beat San Pedro to qualify for quarter-finals

    Enyimba beat San Pedro to qualify for quarter-finals

    Enyimba of Aba produced their best display in this year’s CAF Confederation Cup in Abidjan where they beat home team, San Pedro 5-2 to qualify for the quarterfinals of the competition.

    Enyimba were second on the log going into yesterday’s match in Abidjan and needed a draw to ensure they maintained that position at the end of the group stage.

    Morocco’s Hassania Agadir had already won the group, while Algeria’s Paradou was third on five points, meaning that Enyimba had to win or at least get a draw in Abidjan to qualify irrespective of the outcome of the game between Agadir and Paradou yesterday.

    Prior to the last group game, Enyimba Coach, Fatai Osho said his wards would take the game to their hosts, adding that playing for a draw was out of the question.

    The lads lived up to their coach’s words as they rammed in five goals to make San Pedro’s two strikes meaningless.

    Abdulrahman Bashir got the ball rolling for Enyimba as early as the second minute and was quickly followed by Victor Mbaoma a minute later.

    The hosts got one back four minutes later, but Austine Oladapo restored Enyimba’s two goals advantage on the 25th minute. Irie Roland made it 3-2 in the 44th minute as the first half ended in Enyimba’s favour.

    The Peoples Elephant did not let go in the second half as Victor Mbaoma got his brace in the 75th, while Stanley Dimgba registered his name on the score sheet in the 85th minute.

    Enyimba qualified for the quarterfinals at the expense of AC Paradou, who silenced Hassania Agadir 3-0 thanks to Yousri Bouzok’s treble.

    Enyimba will know their quarterfinals foes on February 5 at the Hilton Pyramids Golf in Cairo, Egypt.

  • NPFL Day 1: Enyimba, Pillars win as El-Kanemi stun hosts [Full result]

    NPFL Day 1: Enyimba, Pillars win as El-Kanemi stun hosts [Full result]

    The 2018/2019 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season kicked off with little notice on Sunday, even though there was action in only six of the 12 league venues.

    In spite of the situation, three home victories, one away win and two draws were recorded in the two groups of the abridged league competition.

    Enyimba International Football Club of Aba kicked off their campaign with a 2-0 home win over MFM FC of Lagos at the Enyimba International Stadium in Aba.

    Nelson Ogbonnaya headed in Nasiru Sani’s long throw to hand the seven-times NPFL champions the lead after 13 minutes.

    Abdulrahman Bashir doubled the lead for the hosts when he headed in Andrew Abalogu’s free-kick in the 54th minute.

    At the Kwara Sports Stadium in Ilorin, Kwara United FC drew 1-1 at home with Sunshine Stars FC of Akure.

    Sasere Franklin put Sunshine Stars ahead four minutes into the break with a lovely lob from the edge of the box.

    But Kwara United were back on level terms through an own goal from Seun Olulayo who diverted Usman Mohammed’s cross beyond his own goalkeeper with 20 minutes to play.

    In another NPFL game, Nasarawa United beat Abia Warriors 1-0 in Lafia.

    Abdullahi Abubakar glided in Abdul Makama’s cross after 20 minutes to hand Nasarawa United all three points from the encounter.

    Akwa United who recruited 13 new players kicked off their new NPFL season on a poor note, going down 0-1 at home to El-Kanemi Warriors at the Akwa Ibom International Stadium.

    Kano Pillars also edged Heartland FC of Owerri 1-0.

    Chinedu Sunday scored the only goal of the game in the 16th minute to hand the hosts the maximum points.

    Plateau United were held to a goalless draw at home by FC IfeanyiUbah.

    NPFL Match Day 1 Full Results:

    Kwara United 1-1 Sunshine Stars

    Enyimba International 2-0 MFM FC

    Nasarawa United 1-0 Abia Warriors

    Plateau United 0-0 FC IfeanyiUbah

    Kano Pillars 1-0 Heartland

    Akwa United 0-1 El-Kanemi Warriors

    NAN

  • 2018 CAF Confederation Cup: Enyimba crash out

    Enyimba on Wednesday crashed out of the 2018 CAF Confederation Cup after they lost 1-2 (1-3 aggregate) to hosts Raja Casablanca of Morocco.
    Enyimba had lost by a lone goal to Raja Casablanca in the first leg in Aba.
    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Enyimba looked bright and eager at the start in Casablanca, but by the time they let in a soft goal in the first half stoppage time, the fight was all but taken from them.
    A blunder by defender Isiaka Oladuntoye gifted Raja in the dying moments of the first half, while Oladuntoye then put the ball into his own net late in the second half.
    However, substitute Abdulrahman Bashir scored a late consolation goal for the Aba Elephants.
    The Moroccans will face AS Vita of Congo in the final.
    Vita Club also dumped out Al Masry of Egypt after they trounced them 4-0 earlier Wednesday.
    NAN

  • CAF Confederation Cup: Raja Casablanca defeat Enyimba in Aba

    CAF Confederation Cup: Raja Casablanca defeat Enyimba in Aba

    Qualification for the CAF Confederation Cup final has just gotten more difficult for Enyimba FC after they were beaten 1-0 in Aba on Wednesday by Moroccan side, Raja Casablanca.
    Many had expected Enyimba to make the most of their home advantage in the CAF Confederation Cup semi-final first leg match; but that was not the case.
    Instead, it was Abdelilah Hafidi that emerged as the hero for the Moroccans as he got the match winner for Raja in the 48th minute.
    The low shot from distance somehow squirmed through the legs of goalkeeper Theophilus Afelokhai.
    In the 65th minute, Stanley Dimgba blew away a great chance to pull Enyimba level when he blasted his penalty way off target after a Moroccan defender had handled the ball inside the box.
    The home team continued to chase the game thereafter, but they could not get back into the game to the disappointment of the packed crowd at the Enyimba International Stadium in Aba.
    Surprisingly, it was Raja Casablanca that had the better of the ball possession; enjoying 53% in the first half.
    Enyimba largely struggled to threaten the goal of their guests with dashing winger Stanley Dimgba only coming to life late in the first half when he drove through the Moroccan defence.
    The return leg will be played on October 24 in Casablanca with the overall winner advancing to the final of the continental club competition.

  • Enyimba, Heartland draw as Anyansi-Agwu calls for more investment in Nigerian football

    Enyimba International Football Club of Aba on Wednesday drew goalless with Heartland FC of Owerri in the 2017/2018 Nigeria Professional League (NPFL) at the U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar.

    The Week 2 fixture saw Enyimba doing all the play and having goalkeeper Ebere Obi showing he was equal to the task.

    Coach of Heartland FC, Ransom Madu, was happy with the result at the end of the day.“I am happy with the result. My players did as instructed. It was a good match,’’ he said. Enyimba’s coach Paul Aigbogun said his players performed well in spite of the draw. “It was a good match all the same,’’ he said.

    Meanwhile, Chairman of Enyimba, Felix Anyansi-Agwu, has said the only way for Nigerian football to continue flourishing was for the country to invest more in the game.

    “Honestly, Nigeria lacks big-time investment in football. We need a lot of investment in football in the country. Football is all about money and it is until we do the right thing before we can get it right, ‘’ he said.
    The member of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Executive Committee also explained his club’s return to Calabar for their home matches in the league.

    He said this was because of the delay in completing renovation work at the Enyimba Stadium in Aba.
    “As soon as the contractors complete the work on the stadium, the team will go back to Aba.

    “But we do not want to take chances. There are procedures and we want to follow these procedures. That is why we are back in Calabar.
    “Calabar is still our adopted home and we are settled here,’’ Anyansi-Agwu