Good morning, Enyimba faithful!
What a way to announce our arrival into the new year! Four glorious goals on the continent after nearly a month without finding the back of the net—it’s as close to perfection as we could’ve hoped for.
Yesterday at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, the Black Bulls came calling for the reverse fixture of that infamous Mozambique misadventure. They strolled in brimming with confidence, thanks to their home win, blissfully unaware that their joy was about to be thoroughly extinguished. If we lost in Maputo, it wasn’t because we couldn’t match them—it was because we were juggling chaos at the time. This time, it was all about our game, on our terms, and boy, did we deliver.
With Eguma unable to lead from the dugout, he handed the reins to the team he had at his disposal. Ani Ozoemena returned between the sticks, while Somiari Alalibo and Chikamso Okechukwu held the fort in central defense, flanked by Uwana Asuquo and Divine Ukadike. Innocent Gabriel was deployed in an intriguing hybrid role between central defense and midfield, supported by Fatai Abdullahi. Akanni Elijah orchestrated from midfield, feeding the attacking trio of Ekene Awazie, Joseph Atule, and Ifeanyi Ihemekwele.
The fireworks began early, with Atule unleashing a thunderbolt to put us ahead. The joy was short-lived, though, as a defensive lapse gifted the visitors an equalizer. For a moment, the Black Bulls looked threatening, but as the Biggest Elephants, we reminded them whose game they were playing. Ihemekwele restored our lead with a stunning curler-meets-volley strike before halftime, and from there, it was a party.
Enter Brown Ideye, our headline signing. The veteran striker danced past the Bulls’ keeper in the second half, squeezing the ball into the net from an impossibly tight angle despite two defenders desperately lunging in. The icing on the cake? Atule sprinted from the halfway line, leaving defenders dazed with his run, to complete his brace and cap off a dominant 4-1 performance.
With Al Masry and Zamalek playing out a goalless draw in Ismailia, our path to the quarterfinals suddenly looks much brighter. The mission is simple: beat Al Masry in Uyo next weekend and set up a do-or-die clash with Zamalek in Cairo, who may have already secured their qualification by then. It’s a steep climb, but the Elephants are on the march.
Next up, we will play our outstanding NPFL matches before turning our focus back to continental matters. The momentum is with us now—let’s keep building!
Enyimba Enyi!
