Knockout Rounds: Enyimba at it again

Having played over 100 matches in CAF Club competitions, Enyimba remains one of Nigeria’s bright spot on the continent. Such strong representation has seen the Elephants lift the prestigious CAF Champions League twice and earned a 12th place ranking in the latest CAF club ratings in May.

The eight-time Nigerian champions are currently on the quest of glory once again on the continent and have a massive quarterfinal clash against Egyptian club, FC Pyramids.

Ahead of this weekend’s tie, we take a look at Enyimba’s previous knockout phase run in CAF club competitions.

2003: CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

En route to Enyimba’s first Champions League triumph, the Aba-based club was drawn against USM Algers in the Semi-finals.

Enyimba drew 1-1 in the first leg in Algiers and played out a 2-1 win in the reverse fixture in Aba. The 2-3 aggregate scoreline was enough to seal Enyimba’s qualification to the final.

2004: CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

2004 marked the successful defense of the title won the previous season to assert the team’s dominance in the competition.

Enyimba was drawn against Tunisian club Esperance in the semis. Both legs ended in a 1-1 draw, but the Elephants triumphed 6-5 on penalties to book their place in a second successive final.

2008: CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Enyimba faced Al Ahly of Egypt in the semis. The first leg ended in a goalless draw in Aba, while the reverse fixture ended in a 1-0 win for the host in Cairo.

2011: CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Enyimba was drawn against Wydad Casablanca of Morocco in the semi-finals. The Moroccans beat Enyimba 1-0 at home in the first leg, and held the Elephants to a goalless draw in Aba in the second leg.

2018: CAF CONFEDERATION CUP

Enyimba had a fantastic run in the 2018 edition of the CAF confederation Cup. The two-time African champions were drawn against Rayon Sports of Rwanda in the quarterfinals. The first leg in Kigali ended in a goalless draw, while the reverse fixture ended in a 5-1 thumping of the Rwandans.

In the semis, Enyimba faced Raja Casablanca of Morocco. The Moroccans triumphed 1-0 and 2-1 in both legs respectively.

2019-2020: CAF CONFEDERATION CUP

Guinean side AC Horoya were Enyimba’s opponents in the quarterfinals. Horoya held Enyimba to a 1-1 draw in Aba, and won the reverse tie by a 2-0 scoreline in Conakry.

A stern test awaits Fatai Osho’s side this weekend in Egypt; having qualified to the knockout stage with what could seemingly be described as the last kick of the game in the group stage, Osho will love to go a step better than last season, but, will need to march past Pyramids FC.