Enyimba head coach Emmanuel Deutsch has voiced his frustration after his side was held to a 1-1 draw by Kun Khalifat in Aba, describing the result as a painful setback in front of the home fans.
The match saw Enyimba dominate large spells but fail to turn control into goals, allowing Kun Khalifat to escape with a point.
Enyimba Pays the Price for Missed Chances Against Kun Khalifat
The Aba boys created several clear openings, especially in the first half, but could not convert. That wastefulness proved costly when Khalifat struck against the run of play.
Striker James Ekebuike stunned the Aba crowd in the 38th minute with a fine solo effort to put the visitors ahead. It was Kun Khalifat’s first real opportunity, and they made it count.
Enyimba pushed hard in the second half and finally found a breakthrough in the 86th minute.
Veteran forward Ekene Awazie reacted quickest after Chinedu Ufere’s effort was parried, firing home the rebound to rescue a point and avoid a fourth home defeat of the season.
Deutsch Laments Khalifat Draw but Backs Enyimba Response
Speaking after the game, Deutsch did not hide his disappointment with Enyimba’s finishing.
“It’s very painful – we missed so many opportunities to score goals,” he said. “We missed so many goals in the first half.
“When we missed so many goals, they had one opportunity; they converted it. Coming back became very difficult for us, because they were wasting time.
“We played more than 60 minutes in the second half because their goalkeeper (Nsikak Akpan) spent more than 22 minutes on the floor, wasting time. He was not cautioned. But I will not judge anybody.”
The Cameroonian tactician, taking charge of his first home match, also pointed to what he felt were repeated disruptions from Kun Khalifat.
“The good thing is that we played good positional football. The opponents didn’t allow the game to flow with their rough tackles and time-wasting antics.
“If you observed well, we had only one yellow card in the entire match, but they had nearly 10. That’s not football. We played to win, not to waste time.”
Despite the dropped points, Deutsch remains confident Enyimba can recover in upcoming fixtures away from home.
“I know I’ve lost two points from the match, but I can still collect it from away,” he added. “I’m optimistic that I will pick some points away, maybe win away. Why not? If we did it against Rivers United, we can do it elsewhere.”
The 1-1 stalemate extends the sleeping Elephant’s winless streak to four matches, following back-to-back defeats and successive draws.
That slump has dragged them perilously close to the relegation zone, sitting 15th on 33 points from 28 games, with a record of eight wins, 11 losses, and nine draws.
They now shift focus to Sunday’s showdown against Warri Wolves.