ETISALAT BECOMES FIRST TEAM TO QUALIFY FOR FINAL
The battle for the final of the Nigerian Telecoms Games 2014 continued on Saturday, August 16 as Airtel took on Etisalat at the Legacy Pitch of the National Stadium, Surulere.
Both sides came into this match knowing that a point would guarantee them a place in the final and it was Airtel who showed flashes of brilliance in the first couple of minutes by dominating possession as Kenneth Kanu and Uche Chikwendu spearheaded their efforts but it didn’t take long before Etisalat settled into the game.Andrew Enebeli; the captain of Etisalat was once again the main creative outlet for his team, pulling the strings from the midfield and he was ably supported by Daniel Kingsley who was the pivot in midfield foiling Airtel’s attempt at gaining control of the game.
The first half saw Etisalat making various attempts at goal but Airtel led by their captain Leye Tejuoso put up a good line of defense to prevent Etisalat’s onslaught.In the second half, Etisalat picked up from where they stopped in the first half and their efforts paid off in the 34th minute when Anthony B. picked up the ball at the edge of the 18 yard box beating two Airtel defenders before he was hacked down and the referee duly awarded a penalty. Andrew Enebeli calmly converted the penalty sending goalkeeper Emeka Okonkwo the wrong way to put his side in the lead. The goal woke Airtel from their slumber as they came forward in numbers in the hope of getting an equalizer. Kenneth Kanu, Uche Chikwendu and Wale Bakare had several chances to get on the score sheet but they just couldn’t get it right in the opposition’s final third.
Etisalat soaked up the pressure and in the 43rd minute, Andrew Enebeli found space in the heart of Airtel’s defense sending a through pass to David Ore to leave him with the goalkeeper to beat. David Ore subsequently slotted the ball into the bottom left corner of the goalkeeper to double Etisalat’s lead.
Airtel tried to reduce the deficit by bringing in their striker Foluso Balogun but it was to no avail as Etisalat held on to book their place in the final of the 2014 Telecoms Games. Airtel on their part will be hoping MTN lose their match to give them a chance of featuring in the final.
Fela is the Co-founder of MediaVision Limited .
