Enyimba Football Club have been eliminated from the CAF Champions League following a 0-1 loss to Al Hilal at the Al Hilal Stadium on Sunday evening.
According to the team’s media crew, Mohammed Musa’s 48th minute strike became the decisive goal of the qualifying round tie after the first leg in Aba a fortnight ago ended goalless.
Enyimba were forced into an early substitution on an extremely noisy night in Omdurman when Stanley Okorom was stretchered off with a knock and replaced by Emmanuel James within the quarter hour.
Despite Hilal’s energetic start, the game’s first real opening did not come until midway through the half when Ifeanyi Anaemena’s infringement handed the hosts a freekick at the edge of the box, which was eventually fired wide; before Atahir Mohammed attempted acrobatically from the box to pull a true save from Kayode.
Enyimba, at the other end, began to threaten and Guera’s low drive from the right was parried out by Salim Magoola before James drew another save from the goalkeeper with a strong freekick from thirty yards to give Enyimba a strong claim heading into the break.
Hilal got their much needed goal two minutes into the restart, though, with Musa Mohammed lashing home a strike from the box after a failed defensive clearance.
Daniel Darkwah became another injury casualty shortly after and was replaced by Abiodun Adebayo, before Martins Usule came on for Stanley Dimgba as Enyimba pushed for a vital away goal to that could turn the tie around.
Usule made immediate impact with an effort from outside the box and Austin Oladapo’s twenty-five-yard screamer went just wide as the clock ticked away to leave Enyimba to a devastating loss.
Now out of the Champions League, Enyimba will shift focus to the Confederation Cup, with the draws for the final knock out stage billed to hold on October 9.
ENYIMBA’S LINE UP
Olufemi Kayode
Stanley Okorom (Emmanuel James 14′), Daniel Darkwah (Abiodun Adebayo 50′), Ifeanyi Anaemena, Nelson Ogbonnaya
Farouk Mohammed, Austin Oladapo, Jean-Marie Guera
Stanley Dimgba (Martin’s Usule 68′), Thomas Zenke, Bashir Abdulrahaman
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UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
Stanley Nwabali, Cyril Olisema, Emeka Atuloma, Dayo Ojo
