Enyimba Football Club now faces an uphill battle to secure a spot in the quarter-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup after a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Egyptian side Al Masry in Uyo on Sunday.
The visitors struck early, with Mohamed Hashem opening the scoring in the 8th minute. However, the hosts showed resilience and leveled the match just two minutes into the second half, thanks to Ifeanyi Ihemekwele’s well-taken goal.
Enyimba had their goalkeeper Ani Ozoemena to thank for keeping them in the game, as he produced a crucial save from Mahmoud Hamada’s penalty in the 68th minute, denying Al Masry a chance to leave with all three points.
The result sees Enyimba climb to third place in Group D with five points, leaving their quarter-final ambitions hanging by a thread. Zamalek lead the group with 11 points, Al-Masry are second with six points, while Black Bulls sit at the bottom with four points.
Stanley Eguma’s men now face a daunting task as they travel to Cairo next Sunday to take on defending champions Zamalek in their final group game.
With Zamalek already through to the quarter-finals, Enyimba must produce a remarkable performance to secure the win they need to keep their campaign alive. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stages.
