Remo Stars claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory over nine-time champions Enyimba in a fiery Nigeria Premier Football League Matchday 15 clash at the Remo Stars Stadium, Abeokuta. The game was decided by clinical finishing from the hosts, defensive lapses from the visitors, and a series of highly contentious refereeing decisions that left the Enyimba bench furious.
The Sky Blue Stars wasted no time shocking the visitors. In the 3rd minute, Victor Mbaoma punished some comical defending, ghosting in unmarked to rifle the ball past Kelvin Ogunga at his near post and send the home fans into delirium.
Enyimba looked rattled but gradually wrestled control of midfield through the excellent Agu-Atule axis. They carved out several presentable opportunities, only to be denied by sharp goalkeeping and their own lack of composure. The equaliser finally arrived in the 32nd minute when Chidera Eze’s relentless pressing on the right flank forced a turnover, allowing Edidiong Ezemo to sweep home a confident finish.
Parity lasted barely minutes. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Remo regained the lead from a free-kick that once again exposed Enyimba’s chronic vulnerability to aerial balls – a set-piece curse that continues to haunt the People’s Elephant.
The second half was all Enyimba in terms of territory and intensity. They camped in the Remo half, but their momentum took a devastating blow when the lively Chidera Eze was forced off injured shortly after clattering the goalkeeper in a goalmouth scramble.
Despite throwing on multiple attacking substitutes – including a triple change just after the hour mark – Enyimba lacked the cutting edge to break down an increasingly deep-lying and time-wasting Remo defence. Late introductions of Alao Dabani and others couldn’t change the script.
The closing stages descended into chaos. With Enyimba preparing to take a corner, the referee inexplicably awarded Remo a free-kick for an alleged push, sparking outrage on the visitors’ bench. Moments later, a hugely questionable offside flag denied Enyimba a clear sight of goal. The decisions left Enyimba players and staff incandescent as Remo clung on for all three points.
In the end, Enyimba will feel they beat themselves – dominating for long periods yet undone by individual errors, poor concentration at dead balls, and an inability to convert pressure into goals. As one club source bluntly put it after the game: “We lost to ourselves today.”
Remo Stars, to their credit, took their chances ruthlessly and showed tremendous defensive resolve when it mattered most. For Enyimba, urgent work is needed on set-piece defending and clinical finishing before their next outing, or more dropped points against supposedly inferior opposition will follow.
