Super Eagles goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa was substituted in the second half as his team Enyimba held hosts Kwara United to a 1-1 draw in a Nigeria Professional Football League game on Wednesday.
Ezenwa was making only his second appearance in an official football match after suffering a knee injury while playing for Nigeria at the 2018 CHAN semi final against Sudan in Marrakech on January 31.
The former Sharks and Sunshine Stars goalkeeper made his return from the injury in Enyimba’s 3-2 win over Energie FC in a CAF Confederation Cup match last month before reporting for the Eagles’ pre-World Cup friendlies.
Enyimba took the lead in Wednesday’s rescheduled Match Day 16 encounter decided at the Kwara State Sports Complex, Ilorin courtesy of Ikechukwu Ibenegbu’s ninth minute penalty.
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Ezenwa was busy in the contest, keeping out a number of attempts before in-form Stephen Alfred beat him from the edge of the box in the 51st minute, to pull the hosts level.
Ezenwa was however replaced in the 67th minute due to a suspected hip injury when he landed awkwardly after claiming a cross. His replacement was club’s de facto first choice, Fatau Dauda.
The People’s Elephant had earlier suffered two injury blows during the game, needing to replace two of their strikers in the first half.
Striker Stephen Chukwude who earlier in the game collided with United’s Akeem Onigbari was replaced by Freedom Omofoman in the 27th minute before Ezenwa’s teammate at CHAN 2018, Ibrahim Mustapha was substituted two minutes later for Chinonso Okonkwo.
Enyimba’s point lifted them to seventh on the log with two games in hand while United stay rooted to the bottom of the NPFL log.
