By Daily Sports on September 8, 2016

Kojo Baah got the last touch to Elu Wilson’s free kick to rescue the point for visiting Ifeanyi Ubah of Nnewi on Wednesday in Umuahia after Ndifreke Effiong had given the hosts a 46th minute lead on his return to club duties after the Rio 2016 Olympics.

The visitors thought they had scored as early as the second minute of the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) clash but Chijioke Alakwe’s close range header was rightly chalked off for offside. The visitors continued to ask questions of their hosts but met a big stumbling block in veteran goalkeeper John Gaadi who was in inspirational form especially in the first half of the encounter.

The former Under-23 shot stopper pulled off a sensational double save in the 12th minute when he dived to his left to keep out Alberico Da Silva’s free kick before getting up quickly to stop the ensuing rebound by Pascal Seka.

The hosts replied with some half chances of their own but Michael Olaha was guilty of some inaccurate long range efforts. When the enterprising young forward who is Warriors’ top scorer this season however found the target on 20 minutes, he was thwarted by Super Eagles goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa who palmed away his effort expertly.

It was also the turn of Warriors goalie, Gaadi to weigh in with his own save on the half hour mark when he brilliantly saved Pascal Seka’s curling effort on the turn. It was indeed a war of attrition between the visiting attackers and the experienced Gaadi as the first half ended goalless.

Right at the resumption of the second half, Warriors claimed a shock lead when Ndifreke Effiong latched on to Shedrack Asiegbu’s long ball and buried the ball past the despairing hands of Ezenwa.

The hosts continued to pour forward in their numbers but failed to increase the tally due to a combination of profligacy and excellent saves by Ezenwa. Four minutes after the curtain raiser, Uche Ihuarulam had a chance to double the lead when he got to the end of Valentine Nwabili’s daisy-cutter at the far post but Ezenwa made himself big to deny him from point blank range.

The duo of Ihuarulam and Ndifreke Effiong would further miss other glorious chances especially on counter-attacking situations and were made to pay for their misses four minutes from time when Kojo Baah had the last touch on captain Elu's free kick from the right flank.

There was however one big chance for the hosts to nick it at the death but Ozor Chinedu headed Okemmiri’s free kick over as Warriors continue to flirt with the dreaded drop.

LINE-UPS

ABIA WARRIORS: 33. John Gaadi 14. Ogbonnaya Okemmiri 3. Valentine Nwabili 5. Ozor Chinedu 2. Chizoba Amaefule 26. Kabiru Ayinde 13. Godwin Effiong 21. Ndifreke Effiong 7. Uche Ihuarulam 31. Shedrack Asiegbu 9. Michael Olaha

Subs: 35. John Shuaibu 15. Mohammed Garba 6. Chukwuemeka Nwabalogu 29. Uche Ndukwu 25. Sherif Bashir 20. Chinenye Agoha 18. Nwaimo Eric Obinna

FC IFEANYIUBAH: 22. Ikechukwu Ezenwa 30. Elu Wilson 3. Kojo Baah 34. Ngoma Luamba 32. Cyril Edum 4. Olamilekan Aniyikaye 19. Jimoh Oni 8. Tamen Medrano 26. Pascal Seka 27. Alberico Da Silva 24. Chijioke Alakwe

Subs: 12. Uche Okafor 6. Henry Okebugwu 21. Isaac Loute 9. Ibrahim Akide 11. Bright Onyedikachi 33. Ismaila Gata 7. Okereke Maduabuchi

•Source: npfl.com. Photo shows Ifeanyi Ubah’s Kojo Baah on the ball.

Source Daily Sports

Posted September 8, 2016

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