End of the Road for Enyimba in CAF Confederation Cup

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Nigeria’s Enyimba FC  ended their adventure in this year’s CAF Confederation Cup after they were beaten 3-1 by a weakened Zamalek side in their final Group D game in Cairo on Sunday evening.

The Aba Elephant who finished third in the group on five points lost out the runner up ticket to another Egyptian side Al Masry who simultaneously defeated Mozambican team Black Bulls by similar 3-1 score line in Port Said to end their campaign on nine points behind runner away leaders Zamalek on 14 points.

All permutations were thrown into the waste bin after Zamalek without seven key players raced to two goals up in the first 49 minutes inside the Cairo International Stadium.

It was Mostafa Shalaby who set the tone of the goal feast for Zamalek with a header in the 29th minute and maintained the lead till the end of the half.

On resumption, it was goalkeeper Ani Ozoemena’s error in the 49th minute that gifted Seifeddine Jaziri the first of his two goals as he slotted the ball into an empty net.

However, Ifeanyi Ihemekwele pulled back one for Enyimba with a powerful shot in the vital area in the 57th minute. Jaziri however put the game beyond the reach of the Nigerian side with a master-class goal in the 87th minute.

Even if Enyimba had beaten Zamalek, it still would have been a mission impossible as Al Masry with their fortunes in their hands got the job done in Port Said against Black Bulls.

After missing early minute penalty off Hassan Ali in the 15th minute, it was Fakhreddine Ben Youssef’s hattrick in the 22nd, 42nd and 45th minute at halftime that gave Al Masry  the bragging right into the quarter finals.

The Mozambicans however pulled one back in the 57th minute through their Nigerian forward, Rume Akporoh.

Enyimba’s exit from the CAF Confederation Cup caps another hopeless year for 

Nigerian club’s all continental club competitions after the earlier elimination of Remo Stars and Enugu Rangers in the Champions League contest and El-Kanemi in the Confederation tournament late last year.