Africa Football League: ‘Enyimba will take the bull by the horn’ – Finidi George

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

Head coach of Nigerian champions Enyimba Finidi George believes the game is still open ahead of Thursday’s Africa Football League quarter-final, return leg match with Wydad Casablanca of Morocco.

Yahya Jabrane’s 39th-minute penalty sealed a 1-0 win for Wydad in the first leg at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, on Sunday. The People’s Elephant will have to win the return leg in Morocco to have any chance of getting to the semi-final of the first-ever money-spinning continental showpiece.

The former Nigerian international insists his team won’t give up the tie easily.

“We know it is not going to be an easy match. It is going to be a 50/50 match,” Finidi told journalists during pre pre-match conference on Wednesday.

“We will not sit back and wait to speculate what is going to happen. We have to take the bull by the horns and that is what we are going to do.

“If we will have to lose, we will lose gallantly. We will not shy away from winning this game. Although they have the support but we are here for a purpose and carry it out.

The Aba-based side is yet to win any of their last three games against the Moroccan side, while Wydad won their last tie 1-0 on aggregate in the CAF Champions League in 2011 before securing another 1-0 win in the AFL on Sunday.

“We will see how it goes. We are not scared and know what their strength as well as their weaknesses,” he continued.

“We have a young team. It is just a mixture of young players. Some are older players. We have a dream and are here for a purpose. Let’s qualify first. If some players want to leave, it is up to them and their agents but I think we are here to see how to get a good result.”

The winner of the game on aggregate will face either TP Mazembe (Democratic Republic of Congo) or Esperance (Tunisia) in the semi-final.