Enyimba head coach Finidi George has attributed his side’s exit from the Africa Football League (AFL) to inexperience which forced them to make costly errors.
The Nigerian outfit crushed out 4-0 on aggregate to Moroccan giants Waydad Athletic Club after losing 1-0 and 3-0 respectively.
He said their opponents managed to put them under a lot of pressure during the first half of their return leg match away something that made it almost impossible for them to recover.
“I think it was not a good match for us especially in the first half and it was because of the way Waydad played…they put us under a lot of pressure and my players made mistakes which gave them an early goal,” he told the club’s website.
He admitted that after the early goal, it was always going to be difficult for them to make a come-back as the score was already 2-0 aggregate. “A goal in Nigeria and scoring in the third minute, we knew it was going to be difficult.”
Despite the loss, the Enyimba coach says he is taking plenty of positives from the experience.
“We have a lot of young players. We are working towards something and I think in the coming years, these players will graduate and will have the experience to play at this level.”
Enyimba paraded a number of youngsters in the match including 16 year old Flying Eagles midfielder Daniel Daga, Eze Ekwutoziam, Chidiebere Nnachi, Chibueze Izougu and Adiele Eriuogo.
“For them it was a big experience playing in such a tournament like this. Unfortunately, we didn’t qualify. We will learn from what we have done wrong and try and be better in future.
“It is a good tournament and for the young players that are coming up it is also a good experience for them. In one or two years they will have the experience to do better at this level.”
