Eguma Blames Weather For Dolphins’ Failure

Dolphins coach Stanley Eguma picked on the weather as the reason for his side’s elimination from the CAF Champions League on Sunday in Cameroon.

The Nigeria premier league champions were beaten 1-0 by Coton Sport but were eliminated on the away goals rule after a 2-1 first leg win.

“It was a good game. The two teams played very well especially in the second half,” Eguma offered. “In the first half the weather affected my boys but in the second we had series of scoring chances but failed to put them away. My boys did well. They tried,” Eguma said.

While the weather may have been a factor, the events in the days leading up to the first leg would have played a more crucial role.

Owed an accumulation of match bonuses totaling 29 and going all the way back to last season, Dolphins players embarked on a strike action and refused to train for two days before that game.

The result was a laborious win that allowed the Cameroonian team a telling away goal.

Taking that slippery 2-1 advantage to the second leg was always a risk, and it took CotonSport just 20 minutes to erase it. Jacques Haman rising above the Dolphins defence to score.

It was the same Haman who got the away goal in Port Harcourt two weeks ago.

With a midfield controlled by Congolese international Makaya Baya, Dolphins were at the receiving end for the rest of the first half as the defence of Kennedy Chinwo, Victor Ezuruike, Festus Austin and Victor Babayaro were the busiest on the pitch.

Time and time again, Gaya easily went past his marker, Seidu Abuu who was slow and out of sorts but Haman’s lackadaisical attitude in front of goal ensured he either blasted wide or shot into the hands of Sunday Rotimi in Dolphins goal.

Dolphins had their moments in the first half but the strike force of Ifeanyi Egwim and Emma Nwachi never seemed like scoring.

Cletus Itodo, getting a rare start for the team since joining from Sunshine Stars was played out of position on the right wing and cut a forlorn figure until he was mercifully substituted.

With the Garoua sun going down, Dolphins found renewed zeal and emerged from their shell to launch raids that left the home fans on edge of their seats for the last thirty minutes.

A succession of missed opportunities was to be their undoing. Nwachi, Omoh Ojabu and Kennedy Chinwo all had chances to get the one, decisive goal that Dolphins needed.

All failed to do so, and Dolphins will be left to contemplate life on the scrap heap of continental football.

By contrast, Sunshine Stars showed remarkable resilience to overturn a 4-1 deficit, handing Recreativo Libolo a 3-0 pasting to level their tie 4-4 on aggregate after a 1-4 first leg reverse.

The Akure team will now meet South Africa’s Black Leopards.