Enyimba Head Coach Stanley Eguma
Wednesday, January 15, 2025, 13:10
Enyimba head coach Stanley Eguma on Sunday said he was disappointed with the 1-1 draw against Al Masri in Uyo, saying they showed too much respect for the Egyptian national team.
The People’s Elephant were looking for revenge after losing 2-0 to the Green Eagles in the CAF Confederation Cup Group D opening game on November 27th.
However, the hosts once again conceded early on, although it took just five minutes to break the deadlock in the come-from-behind match with Mohamed Hashem scoring the opening goal in the eighth minute at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
Ifeanyi Ihemekwere found the answer in the 47th minute to give the Eguma side a share of the spoils, but the goal did little to help their hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals.
Defending champions Zamalek secured their place in the knockout stages with a 3-1 win over the Black Bulls, but the runners-up spot remains a hot target with the remaining three clubs just two points apart. There is.
Ekuma was confident of securing maximum points against Portside, who were supposed to move up to second place, but their game plan fell apart due to the slow start of their players.
“It was really disappointing not to win the game. In fact, we prepared and planned to win,” Eguma said.
“We trained very hard and developed strategies to beat our opponents. But unfortunately, Al Masri’s team came here to play the game of their lives.
“But I think we had a lot of respect for them, especially in the first half. Our approach was lethargic and that led to us conceding early goals. That goal really took a toll on our morale. I think so.
“And most of these players have never played at this level before. It’s their first time playing at this level. It affected them.
“But in the second half we equalized and had several chances to win the game. But we stumbled in front of goal and I think that was our undoing. Otherwise it would have been different. That would have been the result.”
Enyimba need to beat the White Knights in Cairo on January 19 and Al Masri will be hoping to slide into the game against the Bulls in Alexandria to give them a chance to progress to the last eight.
