Anthony Ijeoma put the visitors ahead in the 20th minute before Kalu Nweke of Enyimba restored parity for the host before the break.

However, Enyimba came out from the break smoking  but their efforts were rewarded in the 66th minute when the regular goal scorer, Joseph Atule, made it 2-1 for the host.

In the postmatch interview, Stanley Eguma, coach of Enyimba FC said the match lived up to the expectations of football fans.

“It was a good game and as a derby, we expected this kind of difficult and tough match and the two teams lived up to expectations.

“This is the best NPFL match that I have seen, they have tactics and possession but we have to do some transition and capitalise on counters to get our goals.

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“The most important thing is to get the goals and I think it is a good game and one of the toughest in NPFL matches so far,” Eguma said.

His counterpart, Coach Imama Amapakabo, expressed dismay over the outcome of the match saying, “we created chances but unfortunately, we lost with two goals from outside the 18 yard box.

“We lost and like I told the players before the game, we still have 18 points to play for in the league.

“In spite of the lose, we are still in the race for continental slot and we are going to give it our best,” he said.

The coach said his team would chase the continental slot as much as they could and that the technical team would review the match to get ready for Rivers United in the next match.

“We lost the game because we failed to convert our chances and in games like this, you do not throw away your chances or you will be punished at the end.

The win lifted Enyimba FC to eight position on the table with 46 points while Abia Warriors remain third on the log with 50 points after 32 matches.

Source: NAN

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The Match Day 27 fixture in the 2020/2021 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) did not go without any drama.

This was when the decision by the match officials to disallow a goal scored by Anayo Ogbonna held up the game for about nine minutes.

The hosts took the lead in the 13th minute of the game through Surajo Hassan.

Ogbonna’s goal in the 28th minute and his teammates and team officials went on celebrating only to discover that the goal had been disallowed.

Adamawa United officials quickly crowded the match commissioner to protest the referee’s decision to disallow the goal.

The action halted the match for nine minutes and it took the intervention of security operatives to put under control the almost violent situation for the match to resume.

Two minutes after the game restarted, an own goal by Rivers United’s defender, Fabian Maduabuchi, ensured the hosts extended their lead in the 39th minute.

Speaking later at the post-match conference, Adamawa United’s Head Coach, Justin Madugu, said he was not aware of the reason the referee disallowed the goal scored by Ogbonna.

“One could see the beauty of that goal and there was a build-up before the goal.

“The player who scored that goal was right around the penalty kick spot.

“It’s only the assistant referee that can explain why the goal was cancelled. The centre referee said it was not his fault but I believe he had the right to say it was a goal,” Madugu said.

He however pointed out that the 2-0 win meant a lot to his team, adding “every point at this stage of the competition counts”.

“The boys have been playing well recently. So, I am happy for them today that they can smile home.”

On his part, Rivers United coach, Stanley Eguma, said the match was good but the result was a setback for his team.

Eguma stated that the team would keep working hard and “it is not over until it is over.”

“It is unfortunate that we lost. This is the first time we are losing in our last eight games,” Eguma said.

Source: NAN

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