Jigawa Golden Stars of Hadeija on Sunday in Kaduna defeated Kano Pillars in a Match day 28 fixture of the 2020/2021 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
Ali Maro’s 81st minute goal decided the game played at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna.
The first half of the match ended goalless, after the Kano Pillars had several goalscoring chances they could not convert.
Speaking after the match, the Head Coach of Kano Pillars, Ibrahim Musa, said they would not be downcast as losing was part of the game of football.
“We accept the outcome of the match because it is part of the game. Either you lose or you win.
“In the match played, we could all see that we caged Jigawa Stars. But our players were unable to convert our dominance into goals.
“I won’t blame anybody but my players for not converting the chances to goals.”
He however expressed optimism that they could still win the competition as the club were still placed second on the league table.
‘We are still second on the league table and we are hopeful of winning the league as we are going to work on our challenges.”
Also speaking, the coach of Jigawa Golden Stars, Gilbert Opuana, said their victory was well-deserved.
He said the substitutions they made helped them to gain the upper hand and earn the victory.
“I am happy we won the match after the substitutions we made.
“One thing I have realised is that several players do well against a team from their own home.
“So, Maro’s coming in made a difference and gave us the goal we were looking for.”
He however assured that his players would train hard ahead of their next game against Adamawa United for another victory.
Opuana said this was necessary in order to move into a comfortable position on the league table.
“Our next game is with Adamawa United and we hope to play well against them, even though they are already down.
“But we are taking advantage of a double home to have a good result that will give us a better position away from the relegation zone.”
