Enyimba Football Club fought back from an early deficit to secure a 1-1 draw against Egypt’s Al Masry FC in their CAF Confederations Cup Group D clash at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Sunday.
The People’s Elephants started strongly but were stunned early on when Al Masry took the lead in the 8th minute. Mohamed Hashem scored with a header from a corner kick, giving the Egyptian side an early advantage.
Enyimba had their chances, and Ekene Awaziem came close to leveling the score in the 28th minute, but his shot narrowly missed the target.
Despite a spirited first-half performance, Enyimba went into the break trailing 1-0. However, they came out with renewed energy in the second half.
Just two minutes after the restart, Ifeanyi Ihemekwele equalized for Enyimba with a header from a corner kick, drawing the home side level at 1-1.
Al Masry continued to threaten, and their best chance to regain the lead came in the 68th minute when they were awarded a penalty after Divine Ukadike fouled Moshen Salah in the box.
However, Enyimba’s goalkeeper, Ani Ozoemena, came up big with a brilliant save, denying Mohammed Hamada’s spot-kick and keeping the score level.
Enyimba’s confidence grew after the penalty save, but despite creating several opportunities through substitute Brown Ideye, Ihemekwele, and Uwana Asuquo, they were unable to find the back of the net again.
The draw leaves Enyimba with five points from five matches in third place, one point behind second-placed Al Masry.
They now face a must-win final group-stage match against Zamalek in Egypt on January 19 to keep their hopes of qualification to the knockout stage alive.