FC Katsina United handed a shock 3-1 defeat to Enyimba at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in their NPFL Matchday 27 encounter. The Changi Boys raced to a three-nil first half lead with goals from Samuel Kalu, Rasheed Ahmed and Mahmud AbdulWasiu. Anayo Iwuala pulled one back for the visitors as they fell to a surprise defeat.
Adamawa United defeated Rivers United FC 2-0 at the Pantami Stadium in Gombe. Hassan Surajo opened the scoring for the bottom-ranked side before their lead was doubled by an own goal from Rivers United’s Fabian Nworie.
Rangers thrashed Sunshine Stars 4-1 at the Cathedral in Enugu. Ifeanyi Nweke opened the scoring inside five minutes, before goals from Israel Abia, Godspower Aniefiok and Ibrahim Olawoyin put them 4-0 up. Ifegwu Ojukwu pulled one back for the Akure Gunners from the spot as they were soundly beaten.
Dakkada FC emerged victorious in their match against Warri Wolves at the Ozoro Poly Stadium in Delta. Kareem Abdoulaye scored the game’s only goal just after the hour mark to give the Akwa-Ibom side a precious away win.
Nasarawa United defeated Plateau United 2-0 at the Lafia Township Stadium thanks to goals from Chinedu Ohanachom and the league’s leading scorer Silas Nwankwo as the Solid Miners moved into third place on the NPFL log.
Wikki Tourists prevailed 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller against FC Ifeanyi Ubah at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi. Nazifi Yahaya scored a hat trick, and Manu Garba scored one as Wikki Tourists romped to a 4-0 lead before Ekene Awazie scored twice in quick succession and Nonso Nzediegwu scored a third in added time for the Anambra Warriors.
At the Okigwe Township Stadium, Abia Warriors won 2-0 against Lobi Stars to end a run of five consecutive draws and finally pick up all three points. Chukwuemeka Obioma opened the scoring for the Umuahia Landlords before Paul Samson added a second to seal the tie.
Kwara United defeated MFM FC 1-0 at the Kwara State Sports Complex thanks to a 75th minute penalty from captain Christopher Nwanze as the Afonja Warriors move up to fourth on the NPFL log.
Heartland picked up a 2-1 win at home to Jigawa Golden Stars as they bounced back from their last defeat in good fashion. Chukwudi Nwaodu and Emeka Atuloma scored in the first half to give the Naze Millionaires a comfortable 2-0 lead before Samuel Stone pulled one back for Jigawa Golden Stars who were unable to find an equaliser.
In the game of the week, Akwa United and Kano Pillars played out a drama-filled goalless draw at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna. Kano Pillars thought they had won the game when striker Nyima Nwagua scored a late header, but he was clearly in an offside position, and the referee’s assistant disallowed the goal. The decision did not go down well with the home fans who stormed onto the pitch, causing the match to be abandoned. The match was continued from the 85th minute the following morning, and it ended goalless. Akwa United keep their place atop the NPFL standings, and have now set an undisputed NPFL record of 17 consecutive games without defeat. Kano Pillars remain one point behind in second place, and will definitely face a number of sanctions from the League Management Committee (LMC) due to the pitch invasion by their fans.
