Olanrewaju reveals strategy behind Enyimba’s away draw against 3SC

Enyimba FC head coach, Yemi Olanrewaju, has disclosed the tactical approach that earned his team a hard-fought goalless draw against Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) in a Matchday 6 encounter of the 2024/25 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season.

The match, held at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan on Sunday, extended Enyimba’s unbeaten record against 3SC and marked the third consecutive league game in which the reigning champions have kept a clean sheet. Enyimba continues to recover from their early-season setback after losing to Rivers United in Port Harcourt.

Olanrewaju: “We Played to Our Game Plan”

Reacting to the result, Olanrewaju praised his team for sticking to the game plan, anticipating that the match would be challenging given the history between both sides.

“I knew it was going to be a tough game. I told the boys to anticipate their mindset because when we came here last season, we won. I didn’t think they would allow that to happen again with their eyes closed,” Olanrewaju said.

He also acknowledged the influence of the home crowd but credited his team’s preparation for neutralising 3SC’s threats.

“We knew we were going to face everything— the crowd behind them and their determination. So, we forced them to play long balls and focused on winning the second balls. We tried to catch them on the counter a couple of times, but unfortunately, we couldn’t capitalise.”

On Whether Enyimba Was Fortunate Not to Concede

Olanrewaju dismissed suggestions that his team was lucky to avoid conceding, pointing to Enyimba’s better goal-scoring chances throughout the match.

“I wouldn’t say we were lucky. We created more scoring opportunities; they didn’t create much apart from set pieces. We got into the final third a few times to create chances,” he remarked.

The coach also recognised Shooting Stars’ efforts, saying, “They relied on long balls and corner kicks as their main threats. But I have to give it to 3SC; they had a fantastic performance today.”

The draw further underlines Enyimba’s solid defensive form, with three consecutive clean sheets now in the league.