Enyimba Football Club of Aba on Sunday, lost their African Football League first-leg match 0-1 to Wydad Casablanca of Morocco at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.
The two-time African champions now face an uphill task against the North Africans in the reverse fixture in Morocco on Wednesday. The Peoples Elephant, will now have to win in Morocco to get through to the semi-finals.
Wydad’s goal came from a first-half penalty, with Yahya Jabrane expertly converting from the spot past Enyimba captain and goalkeeper, Ojo Olorunleke, in the 39th minute.
The coach Finidi George-led Enyimba added to their own woes when Alalibo Somiari was shown a red card after a last-man tackle on Mountassir Lahtimi, after Chinedu Chilekwu gave away the ball. Somiari was shown a yellow card, but after a VAR review, referee Alhadi Allaou Mahamat upgraded the card to a red.
If Enyimba win on aggregate they automatically advance to the semi-finals of the maiden edition of the competition, but if they crash out, they bow out of the money-spinning tournament with $1m.
