If you did not watch the match and someone told you Wikki Tourists came to Aba, scored one outrageous goal, and then defended like their lives depended on it for the rest of the afternoon, you might think they were exaggerating. They are not. That is exactly what happened, and it is exactly why Enyimba walked off the pitch with nothing to show for ninety minutes of huffing, puffing, and half-chances.
From the kickoff, Enyimba tried to set the tone. We moved the ball, recycled possession, and tried to stay calm. Wikki sat deep, waited, and looked dangerous the moment they sniffed transition. It was clear early on that the guests did not come to be intimidated by the name on the scoreboard. They came with a plan.
And their plan worked. The breakthrough came in the thirty second minute and it was an absolute bolt from the blue. A loose clearance fell to Abubakar Aliyu Mane and before anyone could blink, he sent a vicious left footed strike swirling into our net. Ogunga flew, stretched, prayed, but the ball was not stopping for anybody. Goal of the week, goal of the month, maybe even goal of the season. Painful, yes, but you have to call a good strike what it is.
After going behind, Enyimba had plenty of the ball but almost nothing to show for it. Neat passes, good circulation, but no penetration. Wikki defended with two compact lines and Enyimba ran out of ideas far too often. The first half fizzled out with frustration rising in the stands and energy dipping on the pitch.
The second half began with more urgency. Eguma switched things around, pulling Molokwu and Bassey for Ezra and Chidera Michael, and the tempo finally picked up. There was more movement, more willingness to run at defenders, more life in the midfield.
And almost immediately, we created our biggest chance of the match.
Kalu Nweke and Edidiong produced a lovely one two that sliced Wikki open, but Ezekiel’s effort was met by a goalkeeper who simply refused to cooperate. That save felt like a warning that this might not be our day.
More changes came. More bodies pushed forward. More balls into the box. More pressure. And still nothing. Everything Enyimba tried was met with a Wikki body part. Head. Toe. Chest. Back. They blocked everything and when they could not block, they hacked it away into orbit.
And through all the chaos, Ogunga kept us alive.
Another massive save in the eighty first minute prevented things from getting embarrassing. The man did his job. He kept us in it. But Enyimba could not return the favour at the other end.
The final minutes were all us, camped inside their half, attacking in waves. But football is cruel. Domination does not equal goals, and chances do not score themselves. Wikki dug in and refused to break. Soon it was full time- Enyimba has dropped points again, this time to Wikki Tourists at home. A single wonder strike punished us and ninety minutes of effort could not save us.
And while it is tempting to chalk this up as “just one of those days”, let us be honest. This was not about luck alone. We lacked sharpness in the final third. We did not show the composure needed to unlock a disciplined low block. We missed our big moments. We looked predictable at times. And inconsistency continues to stalk the team.
Wikki came with a simple plan and executed it perfectly. Compact shape. Quick transitions. Maximum concentration. Clinical finishing. They left Aba with a deserved victory. For us, it is another lesson. A painful one. The season is getting no easier. And this inconsistency must end if we want to climb the table and stay there.
EnyimbaEnyi 💙
