Matchday 2 of the Euromatch NPFL has not exactly brought sparks to the league considering the fact that just eight goals were scored in five matches across Nigeria.
The matchday 2 calendar also recorded a goalless draw between Kun Khalifat and Barau FC, those two are still technically new sides to the league since they have only spent a season in the topflight division so fireworks were not exactly expected in their game, however the result that stood out for me was in another battle between newly promoted sides in Lagos.
Inter Lagos suffered a surprising defeat at home to Doma United, showing that winning an NPFL away game might not be so hard after all, because at the end of the day, the rules of the game won’t change due to the match venue.
I would have been unbothered about the result of this game but unfortunately, I don’t have that luxury as the People’s Elephants will travel to Gombe to face in form Doma United on matchday 3 of the NPFL.
There are no pushovers
In my article Five games to set the tone , where I previewed Enyimba’s first five matches of the 2026/27 NPFL season, I wrote about Doma United’s woeful performance in the 2026 Nigeria National League (NNL) that saw them finish at the bottom of the standings with a single win in three matches.
The Gombe side also managed to score just two goals while conceding seven of which four came from Sporting Lagos alone. They also had an unfavorable pre-season but all that didn’t matter because when the league started, they shut Sporting Lagos up with a 2-0 victory, now they have edged another Lagos team 1-0 and are currently top of the league standings.
In the article I mentioned, I stated that Enyimba would be their first taste of what the NPFL really feels like since they faced two newly promoted sides in their opening games but with their performance and tactical ingenuity so far, Enyimba might have a tough test on their hands.
It is quite early into the season to make predictions about a newly promoted side, however Doma has managed to turn their fortunes around early into the season and the few points they rake in during this period will be pivotal to their survival when the wear and tear of top flight football finally catches up to them.
If their first two results are anything to go by, Doma United have shown that they are not pushovers, and their current form guarantees them extra confidence when they host Enyimba at home next weekend
The ideal response
Doma has six points and two clean sheets from two games this season, they are basically the Hull City of the NPFL but there is an African proverb that says “What an elder saw while sitting, a youth could not see it standing .”
In this case, Enyimba the record league winners are the elders, even if the current matchday squad don’t contain familiar faces the people of Aba are accustomed with, there is a winning DNA ingrained in the very fiber of this club and that is why the expectations usually dwarves Kilimanjaro.
Enyimba were supposed to play Shooting Stars at home before the Doma United game, but the match was postponed due to the Ibadan club’s continental involvement. A win against the Oluyole Warriors would have equipped the squad with the proper mental fortitude to brave Doma’s pressure when they travel to Gombe but that opportunity no longer exists.
However, there is an even bigger prize for the taking when the People’s Elephants trade tackles with Ayeni Alexander’s boys.
Last season, Enyimba dropped points against newly promoted sides which led them to fight a relegation battle down to the last game of the 2025/26 season, this season has to be different.
The match against Doma serves as an opportunity for Enyimba to erase last season’s blunders of losing to newcomers. The People’s Elephants did not win multiple league and Champions League titles to become the SI Unit for mediocrity all over Nigerian football media space.
Enyimba fans understand that eras will come and go but the club will remain and as long as there are people on the pitch putting the blue jersey on then they will always be held accountable and expected to deliver every week.
The game against Doma United is also an avenue for Emmanuel Deustche to convince Enyimba fans that he is the right man for the job. After the 2-1 loss to Niger Tornadoes, he stated that we only “lost a game not the league” I want to believe him but there is nothing more convincing in football than three points and if he wins, he will have the whole of Aba cheering his name the next time the People’s Elephants play at home.
Its time forget the first game of the season, it’s time to take our mind off the postponed game, the only thing that should matter right now is the game against Doma United as there is no better way to bounce back from a loss than three points.
Through the course of this season every game must be played like a final and that to me is the ideal response to Enyimba’s poor performance last season.
Enyimba Enyi!
