Abia Warriors Coach, Bethel Orji, attributed his team’s 0-2 loss to El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri in the President Federation Cup finals on Saturday to fatigue.
Speaking in an interview on the sidelines of the oldest Cup competition in Nigeria, played at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos, Orji explained that fatigue and loss of possession were major factors in their defeat.
The pathwaynews reports that the two-time winners of the old FA Cup, Desert Warriors, secured their victory with a brace from Nasiru Salihu, who scored in the 32nd and 69th minutes of the action-packed final played in front of enthusiastic fans.
“The final was a game of the Warriors in which one must emerge as champion. We were unfortunate that things did not go our way, especially in the first half. Our footings were wrong and so was our possession, so we paid dearly for that. We had a rather bad game not because El-Kanemi watched our clips, but because we did not get it right. It may be because the players were carried away with the atmosphere of playing in the finals, but also we did not play to our optimum,” Orji said.
Orji also highlighted that his players did not have enough rest before the final. “In the past month, we have been on the road playing our league matches and trying to survive relegation while also playing the FA Cup. Thank God we survived relegation to the 10th position, but towards the final, we had a terrible journey around the country. We traveled to Gombe for our last league match, then to Abuja thinking the finals would be there. We were shocked to learn it was in Lagos, so we had to travel there on Wednesday night. Truly, fatigue had set in because for the past four weeks it has been terrible and unfortunate, and today we didn’t get a goal,” he added.
El-Kanemi Warriors Coach, Ali Zubair, credited the youthfulness of his team for their victory. “I demanded a group of young talents, ready for success to make a name for themselves. My intention of gathering younger players for the season turned out positive. Because the team is young, the players have more perseverance and resilience to keep pushing no matter the odds,” Zubair said.
pathwaynews reports that Abia Warriors defeated Ilaji FC from Oyo 4-2 in the Round of 64 of the competition. They also defeated Sporting Supreme of Abuja 1-0 in the Round of 32 and Kwara United FC 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time. In the semi-finals, Abia Warriors won 4-3 on penalties against Kano Pillars after a goalless draw.
El-Kanemi Warriors, three-time winners, defeated Adamimogo FC from Ondo State 2-0 in the Round of 64. In the Round of 32, they walked over Gombe United FC, who failed to honor the match, and defeated Shooting Stars of Ibadan 1-0 in the Round of 16. In the quarter-finals, they beat Inter Lagos FC 2-1 and won their semi-final against Kano Pillars 4-3 on penalties.
