Caf moves Enyimba, Wydad match to Wednesday as Finidi, Ramzi eyes victory
Ahead of the second leg of their quarter-final clash in the African Football League, Enyimba head coach Finidi George and Wydad Athletic Club manager Adil Ramzi have been talking tough as both sides look to book a spot in the semi-finals.
Two-time African champions Enyimba and the Moroccans clash in the reverse fixture on Thursday at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca, after the Confederation of Africa Football on Tuesday announced a change in the date earlier scheduled for Wednesday,
Enyimba lost the first-leg 1-0 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo on Sunday and know they must go to Morocco to pick a win to stand a chance of going through to the semi-finals.
Finidi, who also doubles as the Super Eagles assistant coach, blamed his side’s failure to convert their chances for the defeat to Wydad.
The only goal of the match came from a first-half penalty, with Yahya Jabrane expertly converting from the spot past Enyimba captain and goalkeeper, Ojo Olorunleke, in the 39th minute.
The two-time African champions had several chances to equalise and even win the game but wasted the opportunities presented to them to win the game.
Speaking ahead of the clash, Finidi, while lamenting their wasted opportunities, remained optimistic.
“Football is about goal scoring; if we had scored, the overall result would have been different,” Finidi said on Brila FM.
“In a couple of days, we will have the return leg. I’m happy that in as much as we want to win the game, I’m happy that we lost by just 1-0, which gives us another opportunity to go over there and see if we can.
“If we have the same opportunities that we got here, if we can take one or two it’s going to be a different ball game.”
“I’m quite optimistic about the second leg, but it’s unfortunate that we lost the first leg.
Meanwhile, Wydad head coach Ramzi has warned his side against complacency.
“It’s a match with two periods,” Ramzi said, as per Le Martin.
“I’m happy with today’s result, especially since we scored and didn’t concede.
“Enyimba is a good team and we will have to concentrate in Casablanca during the return match. Matches only end with the referee’s whistle.”