“They resulted in long balls and corners” – Olanrewaju explains how Enyimba held 3SC

By Wale Mustapha

Enyimba FC’s Head Coach, Yemi Olanrewaju, has revealed how his team adjusted their style of play to secure a hard-fought goalless draw against Shooting Stars on Sunday in their recent encounter of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season.

The Aba giants managed to keep their hosts at bay in the tough away fixture, forcing a barren stalemate at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan.

Olanrewaju praised his players for sticking to the pre-match strategy, which he believes was key to their defensive success.

“It was a good game, and I knew it was going to be tough,” Olanrewaju told media.

“I had to preempt their mindset because when we came here last season, we won. I didn’t think they would let that happen again without a fight.”

Shooting Stars, backed by a boisterous home crowd, put up a strong challenge, but Olanrewaju had prepared his side for the kind of game they would face, particularly with the crowd’s influence and the physical style of play that would likely be employed by the hosts.

“We prepared for everything, forcing them to play long balls and trying to pick up the second balls to catch them on the counter. We had one or two chances in those moments, but unfortunately, we couldn’t capitalize on them.”

The former Vandrezzer FC coach emphasized that his team was the more dominant side in terms of creating scoring opportunities, even though the final scoreline reflected a goalless draw.

“I wouldn’t say we were lucky,” he said. “We created more chances. They didn’t create much apart from set pieces. Unlike us, they resorted to long balls and corners, which were their only real threat.”

Olanrewaju acknowledged the strength of Shooting Stars’ performance, calling it “fantastic,” but also noted that his team executed their plan well, managing the game to earn a deserved point.

“Credit to Shooting Stars; they had a good game today. But we played our part too, sticking to our plan and being disciplined defensively,” he concluded.