Enyimba Int’l FC of Aba and Abia Warriors FC of Umuahia on Friday lost their semi-finals matches at the ongoing 6th Ifeanyi Ekwueme TICO/SELECT pre-season football tournament in Abakaliki.
The matches played at the Pa Ngele Oruta stadium, Abakaliki, saw Enyimba losing 1-3 on penalties to Apex Crane FC of Asaba, after playing goalless at regulation time, while Abia Warriors lost 0-1 to Great Achievers FC of Enugu.
Great Achievers struck in the 90th minute of the game to seal the victory against Abia Warriors.
With this victory, Great Achievers, a Nationwide League side, will next meet Apex Crane FC in the final scheduled to be played on Saturday.
Ex-Super Eagles captain, Kanu Nwankwo, is expected to be at the final match alongside other notable soccer personalities in the South-East.
Coach of Apex Crane FC, Chijioke Elendu, commended his players for their resilience and unimaginable display which thrilled the fans at the stadium.
“My team played according to instructions with the players freely expressing themselves not minding Enyimba’s pedigree.
“Football is about 11 players and any big star you see presently started like these players,” he said.
The pre-season football tournament is an annual competition sponsored by former Super Eagles left winger and current Enyimba FC Sporting Director, Ifeanyi Ekwueme.
The tournament aims to prepare Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) and Nigeria National League (NNL) teams for their new respective league seasons.
The tournament is also used to discover talents from unheralded teams who are picked by the more established sides and harnessed towards stardom.
(NAN)
