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Ikechukwu Ezenwa!

By Daily Sports on October 17, 2017

Dear readers, we have done it together thus far in this vastly improved and authoritative column, Sports Pulse that debuted October 9, 2015. We have progressed tremendously as traffic hits attest. We pledged to encourage budding sports men and women; and bring them to limelight and then celebrate already established stars also. Remember, we did not leave out critising where necessary and foremost ensure we proffer solutions to challenges that often crop up in the dynamic circle of sports.

We have like religion kept that faith not without receiving bashes from here and there, of course from attacking dogs of those concerned. One has moved on holding tenaciously, the sanctity of truth. Little wonder therefore the ever increasing readership that cuts across all ages we have witnessed on this page week in week out.

Thank you all for being there kamkpe. OBJ please permission for the usage of this six letter word you made more popular when you were at the helm of Nigeria’s affairs.

Let me reveal to you as tip of the iceberg or what in some quarters would be termed as examination leakage, the loading Nigerian Awards for Sporting Excellence (NASE) being powered by the fast emerging strong voice in sports reportage in the country and the globe, Daily Sports. It is our duty to keep you informed further about this event, hook on. Trust we won’t disappoint.

As ardent readers of this page every week, we did promise to say well done to Ikechukwu Ezenwa for his bravery when goalkeeper crisis hit the Super Eagles. Like a trojan, he stood like rock when daring Indomitable Lions of Cameroon came calling on the road to Russia 2018 World Cup. You can vividly agree with me that it is why his place in this page is earned.

We are today fulfilling our promise to do a write up on Ikechukwu Ezenwa after he helped secure the sole group B World Cup ticket with his team.

Sit back and enjoy this as never written about him before.

To refresh your memory, Ikechukwu Ezenwa was born October 16, 1988 in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. He plies his football trade currently for Ifeanyi Ubah F.C of Nnewi. The Imo State born safe gloves is the captain of both his club side and CHAN Eagles which he helped to qualify for the African football Championship that would come up in Morocco next year. His sterling performance in CHAN Eagles crucial second leg game in Kano against Benin Republic earned him a call-up to the Super Eagles. It is instructive to note that his entry into the flagship team of the country tallied when goalkeeper crisis hit the nation when Carl Ikeme was diagnosed with ailment that has kept him off the game for some time now. There was great panic ahead World Cup qualifier match against Cameroon who is Nigeria’s arch rival and it was also the period when Daniel Akpeyi’s performance in the team’s defence not only became so worrisome but also very suspect, it became obvious that the whole burden fell on the shoulders of Ikechukwu Ezenwa whose only international cap was the short lived FC Ifeanyi Uba dismal outing in CAF Confederation Cup and the CHAN Eagles qualifiers against Benin Republic in recent time.

It became so glaring that the lad was in for it to face the African defending champions whose towering image looked sky up, simply intimidating especially to upcoming lads like Ikechukwu and before you could say Cristiano Ronaldo he came out tops and stole the hearts of many Nigerians after that five star outing in Uyo and in Yaoundé. He became Ezenwa par excellence. He has long displaced Akpeyi in the national team. The often panicky Akpeyi gave himself out when he chickened out of the game against the Indomitable Lions by faking injury and Ezenwa was drafted to man the post for the country. It was like a suicide mission. It was risky bearing in mind, the circumstances at hand. He was not given a chance by many, but silently I did having watched him perform creditably in a couple of NPFL games. No jokes, I did novena on his behalf for the trickiest World Cup qualifier encounter against the more physical side as Cameroun. As I did tell anyone that cared to listen, it was the clash that made him stronger and brought forth courage. His confidence grew because he made daring saves hence his arrival. I guess that made him believe that after all he can do it. If he could withstand Cameroun of all teams in Africa what next? He has long become a household name in the scheme of Super Eagles calculations. He proves what determination, focus and trust in one’s self and ability to learn more is rewarding. Ezenwa’s chapter reveals the above.

Ezenwa’s approach to his football career of late as it concerns the national team brought to the fore what diligence and forbearance can bring to the table at the end of the day. It can also serve as a lesson in character to the younger ones and even his teammates. He further proved that when there is a will, there must be a way. As it is today he has put himself firmly on ground. In the worst case scenario, he will be third choice to World Cup summit that is if Vincent Enyeama and Carl Ikeme return.

He began his football professional career with Ocean Boys F.C. before moving to Heartland F.C of Owerri in July 2008. He moved to FC Ifeanyi Ubah in 2016.

He had very little international experience in his career before now and right away, his sterling performance so far has helped in no small measure to up his profile thereby presenting him as a sure footed player with a brighter future. Ikechukwu Ezenwa planted this for himself. He can be said to be a reliable ally.

I see him as a determined young man who has a date with history. I have seen in him, a spirit of never say die, which has remained his staying power. His resilience in goal speak volume of him. His concentration level in that battle of Yaoundé when I replay some parts gives me a strong feeling that Ezenwa has arrived. And the other day in Uyo, where he help Nigeria with his teammates to deliver Russia 2018 World Cup ticket remains one that he has a permanent place in our football history as one goalkeeper against all odds withstood desperate Cameroon and later, the roundly fortified Zambia in group B. Both games were no mean encounters and his bravery was in full display as he exuded confidence to deny the invaders possible upset.

He became an instant hero and toast of very impatient Nigerian fans. He is now talk of the town. I admire his self-assurance and calmness in goal no matter the situation. One of his strong points is his ability to organise his defence and call them to order appropriately. Such time reading between the lines has picked him out one of the safe gloves whose future will shine as long as he remains focused. Ikechukwu Ezenwa no doubt loves this game and gives his very best in any match he is between the sticks.

I have watched him on duty for his club only six times in Calabar against Enyimba, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Makurdi, Ibadan etc and saw serenity and a sense of responsibility in him in each of the games. After one of the games, I asked him what his staying power is and he simply replied God. He is not arrogant like most of his colleagues in NPFL and even the foreign legion. He listens and learns to enrich himself in the art of goalkeeping.

To buttress this, prior to the crucial match against then tough talking Zambia, he hired a private goalkeeper trainer to strengthen his latitude and also expose him to new tricks that would effectively checkmate the overbearing effects of dare devil opponent strikers. It helped him in no small measure in that game because any time he was called to duty he was always alert. In short, he improves in every game. It showed his full preparedness and stamina to achieve greatness in this all embracing dynamic sport. He has got the flavours and as an unassuming lad never flaunts them. He is cool headed and we in Daily Sports have often said it that if his little achievement so far did not get into his head soon he will go far in his career. We saw it coming due largely to the way and manner he takes his football.

Lest we forget, he was a member of the Silver-winning U-23 Eagles team at the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in China, featuring in the qualifier games. He got the call up to the Nigeria Super Eagles in 2015 under Sunday Oliseh. It was the clash that made him stronger. His confidence grew to high because he made daring saves. He has long become Ikechukwu reborn in the scheme of Super Eagles technical calculations. He proves what determination, focus and trust in oneself and ability to learn more can bring. Following the injury of Nigeria’s first choice goalkeeper Carl Ikeme he was called up to be part of the squad in the World Cup and Nations Cup qualifications by Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr and given the number 1 jersey replacing Ikeme as first choice goalkeeper of the Super Eagles.

Let me be honest with you and repeat that Ezenwa showed some depth and class of keeping during Nigeria's back to back matches against the Indomitable lions of Cameroon in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He has not hidden his capability to function well as the Captain of CHAN Eagles and FC Ifeanyi Uba.

His nomination for Award as Best Goalkeeper (Africa) by the highly respected Awards Committee headed by distinguished ex-executive committee member of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) that midwifed Nigeria’s first Africa Cup of Nations win in 1980, Prince Isidore Oduah, Chairman of The Nigerian Awards for Sporting Excellence (NASE) encouraged the emerging authoritative voice in sports, Daily Sports.

He merited it and we must all salute and applaud the foresight of the committee.

. . . And now this, Champs Akwa!

This year’s Aiteo Cup was won by Akwa United against hard working Niger Tornadoes via penalties.

One believes that the boys from Akwa Ibom State have learnt their lessons after winning through no man game.

The Akwa United team I saw against ball joggling Minna team would have proved book makers and pundits wrong if mother luck had smiled on them in the first half and even some anxious moments in the second stanza. Coach Bala's team made Akwa Utd look ordinary and brings this question: Is it this kind of clay footed team that would represent Nigeria next year in CAF Confederation championship?

Niger Tornadoes out played the eventual champs whose experience helped to stop the ball jugglers till the regulation time and some of the penalty shooters from the Minna FC side failed to compliment the shinning efforts of their goalkeeper. It would remain a big lesson to our coaches and teams that in their everyday training and instruction to their lads, penalty shooting must form a part and parcel of their routine.

For Akwa United there are lots of work to be done on the team I saw. How they will do to turn this side around to conform to what it will meet in CAF Confederation tournament will be answered by the head coach who was bought with high price to win the NPFL and Aiteo Cup. The team may need to do a lot more in order to survive the tough and rough terrain Africa teams would pose as usual in the second tier of African club champ. Only the management of the team and the technical crew would provide these begging answers otherwise the team would end the way it did in her very first attempt at the African level. One must thumbs up the match officials for being firm and decisive. I was delighted to behold them.

Head or tail, congratulations the Promise Keepers in your hard earned victory. Let discussion continue on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and WhatsAPP. Keep shooting hard till next week!!

Source Daily Sports

Posted October 17, 2017