Good morning!
It’s the morning after the Brother Wars, and what a chaotic, bittersweet rollercoaster it was—a free gate, perfect sunlight, an early goal, moments of lethargy, inspired substitutions, a sumptuous equalizer, and a finish that could give a cardiologist a heart attack. A derby in every sense of the word.
Eguma made some changes, bringing back Ani Ozoemena in goal. Chidera Eze and Divine Ukadike flanked Chikamso Okechukwu and Moses Adukwu in defence. Innocent Gabriel anchored the midfield with Kalu Nweke and Elijah Akanni, while Brown Ideye led the attack alongside Joseph Atule and Ifeanyi Ihemekwele. On paper, it had some promise. On the pitch? Well…
The start was shaky. In just a few minutes, Terdo Shimangade broke free, and Adukwu had to bundle him over. Hearts were in mouths, but the referee ruled it was just outside the box—free kick, not a penalty. Former Enyimba winger Daniel Ekpo stepped up and sent his effort flying over Ani’s goal. We weren’t so lucky moments later. Another reckless defensive move, this time inside the box, and Ekpo made no mistake from the spot, sending Ani the wrong way. 1-0 to the visitors.
What followed was an uninspiring first half. Ideye, Ihemekwele, and Atule tried to string together half-chances, but with the defence looking as solid as wet tissue paper, the entire team remained out of sync. Eguma had seen enough and, early in the second half, threw on our game-changer for his second Oriental Derby in blue—Fatai Abdullahi. And just like that, the midfield had shape again. He brought stability, allowing Nweke and Akanni to push forward with more purpose.
And it paid off. Atule, ever the livewire, latched onto a pass, muscled past his marker, and unleashed a belter past Ogunga. Pandemonium in the stands! 1-1, game on!
The rest of the match was a nerve-wracking search for a winner from both teams. But if not for Ani Ozoemena’s heroics between the sticks, we might have left empty-handed. He pulled off some crucial saves to keep us level until the final whistle.
A derby to forget? Maybe. But also one to remember—because it exposed, once again, the glaring holes in this team. Every Enyimba fan who has followed this club for more than two seasons could name ex-players who would walk into this squad effortlessly. That’s not a good sign. It’s shocking that we can’t go shopping in Ghana and West Africa like we used to. Once upon a time, we had the muscle to lure in top talent. Now? It’s looking like a shadow of the great recruitment machine we once were.
Up next, we travel to struggling Lobi Stars on Monday. Struggling, yes, but we all know how these things go—we better not be the ones to hand them a revival. 14 points behind the leaders, with a game in hand in Benin City? We need something from this match.
Back tomorrow.
Enyimba Enyi!
