Enyimba Held to a Draw Against Al-Masry

"Enyimba" and "Al-Masry" end the match with a 1-1 draw, placing the Nigerian team in a challenging position in the Confederation Cup.

Nigeria's "Enyimba", the nation's sole representative in continental club tournaments, faced a tense night at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Sunday, drawing 1-1 with "Al-Masry" in a crucial Group D Confederation Cup fixture.

The former CAF Champions League winners entered the game needing a win to leapfrog "Al-Masry" into second in the group standings.

However, the visitors made an early impact, with Mohamed Hashem opening the scoring in the 8th minute, silencing the home crowd. The Egyptian side's steadfast defense frustrated "Enyimba", who found it challenging to create clear opportunities in the first half. The hosts came out stronger after the break, and their persistence paid off in the 48th minute when Ifeanyi Ihemekwele rose to head home, leveling the score.

"Enyimba" pushed for a winning goal, with goalkeeper Ani Ozoemena emerging as a hero by making two critical saves to keep his team in the game. First, he denied a close-range shot in the 50th minute before stopping Al-Masry's penalty 18 minutes later, maintaining the draw. Despite dominating possession late in the match, the hosts could not find the decisive winner.

The result leaves the Aba side in third place with five points from five matches, while "Al-Masry" sits second with six points. Meanwhile, in another group fixture, "Zamalek" secured a commanding 3-1 victory against "Black Bulls Maputo", extending their unbeaten run to five matches and solidifying their top spot with 11 points.

For "Enyimba", the path to qualification has become daunting. They must now defeat "Zamalek" in Cairo on Sunday and hope that "Al-Masry" fails to secure maximum points against "Black Bulls Maputo". Even with a win over "Zamalek", the fate of the Nigerian side remains uncertain, as "Al-Masry" would advance with victory in their final group match. The draw in Uyo positions the former Nigerian champions precariously, with their Confederation Cup hopes hanging by a thread.