Enyimba 4-2 3SC: Four-Goal Blast Delights Okechukwu — ‘It’s a Sign of More to Come’
Enyimba International finally discovered their scoring boots in emphatic fashion on Wednesday, firing four goals past Shooting Stars in a 4-2 victory that delivered their first win of the 2026/27 Nigeria Premier Football League season.
More significantly, the four-goal explosion was more than Enyimba had managed across their entire first five matches of the campaign combined, underlining just how dramatic the attacking turnaround was at the Enyimba International Stadium in Aba.
The People’s Elephants had entered the rescheduled Matchday 2 encounter struggling for goals, having found the net only three times in their opening five league games.
Against 3SC, however, they matched that tally before half-time and added another shortly after the restart to produce their most productive attacking display of the season.
Richard Ezinna set the tone in the sixth minute, capitalising on a defensive error to put the hosts ahead.
Chibueze Damian doubled the advantage in the 28th minute with a powerful long-range effort following a corner, before Odinaka Obichere and Idris Abubakar combined for Enyimba’s third eight minutes later.
William Wonah then produced a strong individual run before setting up Ifeanyi Ihemekwele for the fourth in the 49th minute.
The four-goal haul represented a striking departure from Enyimba’s earlier struggles in front of goal.
After five matches, the nine-time champions had scored only three goals and failed to find the net in two of those fixtures. In just 49 minutes against Shooting Stars, they had already surpassed their entire previous scoring output for the season.
The visitors managed two late goals through Adams Mustapha and Atule Johnmark, but Enyimba held on to secure a much-needed three points and breathe new life into their campaign.
For assistant coach Ejeh Okechukwu, the performance was evidence that the work being done on the training ground is beginning to produce results.
“We feel fantastic. For the technical crew and players it feels good winning our first game of the season. We have been working on goal scoring. The games we lost saw us create chances and we couldn’t convert them. Today is a reflection of what we did in training,” Okechukwu said.
But while the four goals provided encouragement, the two conceded after Enyimba had established a commanding lead remain a concern.
Okechukwu admitted that defensive lapses must still be addressed, particularly with Plateau United next on Sunday.
“It’s a learning curve for us. We conceded silly goals in our last two home games, that means we haven’t gotten it right defensively. Come Sunday against Plateau United, the lapses will be corrected,” he said.
The result moves Enyimba to four points from six matches, having recorded one win, one draw and four defeats. They have now scored seven goals and conceded 10, improving their goal difference to -3.
But beyond the numbers, Wednesday’s performance offered Enyimba something they had been desperately searching for — attacking confidence.
Four goals in one match after scoring only three in their first five.
For Okechukwu, it could be the beginning of something bigger.
“Our fans should keep trooping en masse to support this team. It’s a work in progress. Fans should exercise patience with us, we will get it right. Today is a sign that this team can score goals. When we get it right, it will be a near perfect team,” he added.
The challenge now is to ensure Wednesday’s goal rush is not an isolated explosion.
Plateau United will provide the next test — and Enyimba will be hoping the goals have finally started to flow.
