Iorfa praises Barau FC’s draw against Kun Khalifat

Barau FC General Manager Dominic Iorfa has praised his players for their resilience after earning a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Kun Khalifat in the matchday two of the EuroMatch Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri.

Difficult construction

Iorfa’s satisfaction was particularly significant given the difficult circumstances the team faced just hours before kick-off.

The Barau FC delegation arrived at Owerri airport on Saturday but their journey to the hotel was cut short when the team bus reportedly broke down.

“We flew to Owerri airport on Saturday, but while driving from the airport, our bus had a problem and weaved from one side of the road to the other,” Iorfa recalled.

The former Queens Park Rangers striker revealed that several players suffered varying degrees of injuries during the incident, although the team chose not to make a big deal out of it.

“Many of the players suffered injuries of varying degrees, but we didn’t want to make it a problem,” he explained while showing a video of the incident on his mobile phone.

According to Iorfa, most of the players participated in the match despite suffering bruises from the incident.

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“Most of the players played the game with some level of injury. Fortunately, the injuries were not too serious, but an incident like that could have affected the team psychologically.

“However, the players stayed strong and fought hard to get the draw. We are happy with the result.”

Iorfa credits luck and resilience

Reflecting on the match, the former Lobi Stars of Makurdi coach admitted that Barau FC’s determination was complemented by some luck, especially in defence.

“Did you see how many times our defenders cleared the ball off the line? Three times,” he said.

“No matter how good your team is or how well you play in a match, luck is also very important. Today I think luck was on our side. Otherwise, one of those opportunities could have been taken.”

The last chance is made begging

Barau FC also had the chance to take the three points late in the match when winger Al Ameen Umar, a former El-Kanemi Warriors player who previously played for Telecom Egypt, came close to finding the winning goal.

However, Umar shot just over the crossbar when he seemed to have the option to slide the ball towards the far post.

“We also had our chance to win, but it wasn’t like that. It wasn’t a bad result,” Iorfa concluded.

By Sab Osuji