Warri Wolves humbled us 2-1 at the Elephant Park yesterday.
We started on the front foot, corner kicks in the opening minutes, quick passes, and Kalu Nweke at the heart of every creative spark. But the Wolves, calm and cunning, refused to be overwhelmed.
The first shock came in the sixteenth minute when a routine counterattack from the visitors forced Hussain Muhammad into a disastrous own goal. Aba fell silent. We trailed one nil — the perfect sucker punch.
Just two minutes later, things got worse as Chidera Michael limped off injured and was replaced by Alao Danbanni, disrupting Coach Eguma’s early rhythm. But if there’s one thing we never lack, it’s spirit. In the twenty-sixth minute, Edidiong Ezekiel justified his start, latching onto a sleek through ball from Kalu Nweke and curling home a beauty beyond Vincent Edafe. One-one, parity restored, the stadium alive again.
We pressed hard after that. Kalu tested Edafe again, but the Wolves’ keeper was in inspired form, steady hands, sharp reflexes, a wall in human form. Moments before the break, Kelvin Ogunga produced a world-class save to deny Warri Wolves from a corner, ensuring we went into halftime level.
The restart saw us pile on relentless pressure. Bright Emmanuel drew fouls, Kalu Nweke bombarded the defense with long-range efforts, and the Wolves threw their bodies on the line. But Edafe, though, was the story. The man was glued to the goalpost like a cat on caffeine, punching, parrying, and blocking every blue wave.
Just when it looked like we might finally break through, Warri Wolves struck again. In the sixty-fourth minute, chaos from a corner saw Tejiri Emonena pounce on a loose ball to restore their lead. Two-one to Warri Wolves. Aba in disbelief.
Coach Eguma rang the changes. Atule, Quadri, and Jonathan Jacob were all thrown in, but the Wolves’ defensive shape was pure granite. Every pass blocked, every shot smothered. The clock ticked, tension rose, but the Wolves refused to crumble. Even in added time, we threw everyone forward, including Ogunga for a late corner, but it wasn’t meant to be.
We dominated possession with sixty-four percent, most of it controlled down the left flank, while the Wolves sat deep, broke on the counter, and made every touch count. Shots on target were seven to four, but only one side made theirs matter. Ogunga had key saves but was wrong-footed for the own goal. Edafe, on the other hand, was heroic from start to finish, a deserved man of the match.
Our high press created moments but left gaps that the Wolves exploited smartly. Kalu Nweke ran the midfield as always, Ezekiel gave us the goal that lit hope, and Ogunga kept the score respectable. For them, Edafe was their wall and Emonena their hammer.
We didn’t just lose a match, we were taught a lesson in precision. The Wolves came with a plan and executed it perfectly. We showed flashes of brilliance but lacked the killer touch. We must rediscover our roar quickly if we are to remain contenders this NPFL season. The Wolves, meanwhile, left Aba with all three points, pride in their chest, and the city echoing one sentiment — sometimes, fortune really does favor the bold.
Back tomorrow.
EnyimbaEnyi 💙
