BEVERLY HILLS, August 27, (THEWILL) – The Enyimba International Football club qualified for the second round of the CAF Champions League 2019/2020 on Sunday after their 5-0 win over Rahimo FC of Burkina Faso in Aba. The Nigerian News Agency (NAN) announced that the Aba-based team had qualified 5-1 overall after losing the tie 0-1 match about a fortnight earlier.
The scorer of the only goal of the first leg earned a red card without fault on the part of the referee for stomping on the defender Ghanaian Enyimba, Emmanuel Ampia. Enyimba has tried to assert its digital advantage by putting constant pressure on the defense of visitors.
A double of Reuben Bala and Stanley Okorom allowed the hosts to get rid of Rahimo, Burkina Faso, during the second leg. The Burkinabe champions showed danger warning signs when their numerical power was reduced nine minutes after the kickoff following the expulsion of Zonon Issouf.
However, still backed by his 1-0 lead in the first leg, Rahimo vigorously defended, virtually all players ending up behind the ball several times with occasional counter-attacks. Enyimba thought he had made that breakthrough in the 24th minute when Captain Godwin Abalogun put his left-foot shot in the far corner.
The goal was to cancel the deficit of Enyimba in the first leg and provide much-needed soothing relief to the two African champions to regain their dominant mode. The visitors were almost tied in the 38th minute when defender Nelson Ogbonnaya did not take care of center-left.
NetBet Nigeria fans reported that the goal was dismissed by the flag of the second assistant referee, who ruled that Stanley Dimgba had provided assistance as having been in an offside position. The breakthrough for the hosts was finally a minute after the half-hour when Bala snatched an incredible free-kick from the opposite goalkeeper, Traoré Moussa.
Okoro had an instant impact by doubling Enyimba’s lead in the 46th minute with a fresh finish inside the area. The hosts refused to turn down because they turned to more goals, although visitors abandoned their defensive approach in search of another goal outside.
Cisse Mody had the great opportunity to test goalkeeper Afelokhai closely. The Nigerian goalkeeper, however, reacted brilliantly with a stop at the fingertips, pushing the ball over the bar.
The People’s Elephant scored a goal early in the break at half-time, with a 1-1 tie between the two teams. Before the recovery for the second period, Enyimba introduced Okorom instead of Emmanuel Ampia, a decision made necessary by the pains inflicted by the hit Issouf on the lower abdomen.
But it was Enyimba who nearly scored a third goal in the 69th minute. It was at this point that Cyril Olisema imposed a daring rescue for goalkeeper Moussa, who pushed the ball against the wood for a corner. Dimgba scored his name on the scoresheet in the 78th minute, starting from the left to shoot in the top corner.
It was at this moment that it was set up by Stanley Okorom from a corner. The NAN reports that with the 5-1 aggregate win, Enyimba took a place in the second qualifying round of the CAF Champions League 2019/2020.
Enyimba continued to advance and, four minutes from the end, Bala earned his double of the night with a fierce strike at 35 meters. The fourth goal defeated the Rahimo team’s spirit, while Dimgba also got his support at night and Enyimba’s fifth.
A goal from Kelvin Andoh and Emmanuel Gyamfi was enough to see Asante Kotoko qualify for the second round of the competition. Kano Pillars won the first leg 3-2 in Kano. They will now meet the winners of Sudan’s Al Hilal and Rayon Sports from Rwanda. On the other hand, at Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, the Kano Pillars lost 0-2 to hosts Ghana’s Asante Kotoko for a 3-4 total loss.
