Rise of a Football God

Enyimba FC started the 2023/2024 NPFL season on a high.

The first 4 games of the NPFL season for the Aba-based club was smooth-sailing as they won all 4 matches, sitting comfortably at the top of the league table.

Enyimba FC was still in form, riding the momentum of the previous season but unlike last season though, this time, it didn't last the whole season.

The next 3 games after matchday 4 of the NPFL 2023/2024 season, Enyimba FC suffered, showing a drastic switch from their previous form. And all of it was due to a certain game as in the matchday 5 encounter, there was an incident.

In the first half, Enyimba FC dominated like usual, scoring the first goal in the 18th minute of the game as after an incredible solo run from the halfway line, Chijioke rounded the opposition goalkeeper before scoring an incredible goal.

Just 5 minutes later, Chijioke, the Enyimba left winger doubled his goal tally in the game as he finished off a well-worked Enyimba team move, poking the ball into the net past the goalkeeper as Emeka offered the assist.

By half-time, Enyimba FC led 2-0.

Second half though was when all hell broke loose.

For the majority of the second half, Enyimba FC maintained their dominance, dominating possession and creating more chances but in the 57th minute of the game, an incident occurred.

After an ugly collision between 2 players on the pitch, Farouk was stretchered off the pitch after suffering a muscle injury.

The injury was not caused by the collision, only aggravated by it. The true cause of the muscle injury was fatigue.

Coach Yemi Daniel made changes immediately, bringing the backup defensive midfielder of his team but the damage was already done.

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Despite being on the lead with 2 goals already by then, Enyimba FC faltered in away ground, letting 2 opposition late goals to ruin their night as they settled for a draw, their first of the season.

Both goals went through the mismatch defensive midfielder that was substituted into the game.

A furious Coach Yemi Daniel subbed off the midfielder in the dying minutes of the game, introducing Olisema but it did little to change the outcome. The damage was already done.

Despite drawing a game for the first time this season, the media was not focused on that, rather, they were focused on the incident.

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After the game, the doctors gave their verdict, ruling Farouk Mohamed out for a month and it was clear immediately that it would be a difficult month.

In their next game, matchday 6, Enyimba FC managed to snatch a narrow 1-0 victory at home but in their matchday 7 encounter away from home, against their bitter rivals, Plateau United, they suffered their first defeat of the season.

That extended their rough patch to a draw and a loss in 3 games.

Enyimba FC suffered without a proper defensive midfielder on the pitch, and though Coach Yemi Daniel tried to improvise, it was not working.

The backup defensive midfielder just could not do what Farouk did.

On their 8th game of the season, just before the FA cup started, Coach Yemi Daniel tweaked his team formation again, going for a balanced formation that enabled him to play with 3 center midfielders.

Sam's role on the pitch changed, giving him more authority and freedom to roam at the center of the pitch alongside Austin and Olisema.

Together, they played as all-purpose center midfielders.

With this tactical change, the results also changed.

The goals dried up for Enyimba FC as in the next few games, even as Farouk worked his way back to fitness, they struggled to score goals, drawing a few games and those that they won, they won with close 1-0 and 2-1 score lines.

But then, the ultimate disaster happened as in one of the FA cup matches, despite winning 3-1, Emeka ended up suffering a knee injury that ruled him out for approximately 2 months.

To Enyimba FC, this was a true disaster.

Emeka was the only out and out center forward of the whole squad.

Just like the pundits predicted, the fatigue of playing so many intense games in the champions league last season, playing multiple games across days with little to no rest was taking a toll on the Enyimba FC team.

It was also because of the fact that this season, Enyimba FC competed in all major trophies that could be available to a Nigerian club.

Playing in so many competitions took its toll on players.

As the season progressed, the schedule ramping up even as Farouk came back from injury, fate piled on Enyimba FC's misery as Austin suffered another setback, a muscular injury.

And barely just a week later, Olisema joined him in the injury list.

Enyimba FC was hit hard by injuries, 3 important players of the starting XI were kept out of the pitch due to injuries, leaving the team incredibly vulnerable.

The only player of the team that could be said to be in tip-top shape this season was Sam. After his injury last season, once he recovered, he became the only point of consistency for Enyimba FC this season.

Sam's numbers may have dropped drastically compared to his debut season due to the overall drop of the level of his teammates and injuries, including his coach's tactical tweaks, but his performances never dropped.

He was still fighting and running himself to the ground every game, contributing in the best way he could and in his day, he dominated imperiously.

As the season progressed, he showed that he was far above his teammates physically, almost like he was on some crazy diet.

He was on no diet though.

Rather, with his physical conditioning elixirs that he got from completing the daily system quest, Sam was the sole shining light of Enyimba FC, masking an otherwise underwhelming start to the season.

As the season progressed, they dropped points occasionally till they dropped all the way from the top spot to 4th position in the league table.

During this time, game after game, Sam was the one constant in an Enyimba FC team heavily hit by injuries.

He was also the only reason why they remained competing in all fronts.

Games that Enyimba FC won, he was the X Factor, stealing memorable victories from the jaws of defeat.

Games that Enyimba FC drew, he was the anchor that held everything together, preventing his team from capitulating completely under the pressure.

As for games that Enyimba FC lost, he was almost the only shining light of the team that kept them competing.

Like this, the days moved swiftly like the rolling pages of a book.

The 1st month passed, including the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th months as the season fully matured, growing into its deep stages.

And finally, it was December…

By now, sitting in 5th position in the league table, Enyimba FC was under a lot of scrutiny from the media but most of it was shelved, temporarily.

They were shelved because of the footballing event that started in December.

Due to winning the CAF champions league last season, establishing themselves as the best team in all of Africa, Enyimba FC qualified, gaining an exclusive ticket to play in a very important club tournament.

The FIFA Club World Cup was scheduled to start in December.