The Sports Minister Sunday Dare has congratulated 3SC of Ibadan for winning the NPFL pre season tournament dubbed the Dozy Mmobuosi Cup.

3SC defeated Enyimba FC of Aba 3- 2 to emerge winners of the Super Four Competition on Friday inside the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos.

According to the Minister, “I want to first congratulate the organisers for putting up a quality pre season tournament, where the winner is taking home N100 million, 2nd placed team N75 million and the 3rd place winners N50 million, that’s quite remarkable and commendable. I’m glad that we are beginning to get it right as far as the league is concerned.

“This Super Four signifies what is expected in the league. I want to charge the Interim Management Committee(IMC)to do more, so that we can have a better league in terms of TV coverage and competition among the clubs,” the Minister said.

After going into the finale of the four-team tourney which kicked off on November 18, a draw was the least the  Oluyole Warriors needed to be crowned champions, as they had a plus two goals difference ahead Cornerstone FC despite both teams levelled on 6points each.

That they did, as they went unbeaten in three matches, spicing it up with 9 points and scoring 14 goals.

Not minding Shooting Star’s elite status, Cornerstone FC showed they would be stubborn to beat after they took the lead after 18 minutes of play via a strike from Adeleke Olamilekan.

Ifeanyi Ihemekule cut short Cornerstone FC’s joy of going into the locker room with a one-goal advantage when he scored the equalizing goal in the added time of the first half.

Shooting Stars then showed class in the second half scoring two goals in the 63rd minute via a fantastic strike from Tosin Olawale while Joshua Akpan put the icing on the cake in the 85th minute after he steered the ball into the bottom corner with the third goal after beating his marker in the box. 

In the second final day game between 

FC Ebedei and Tradesafe FC ended in an 8-goal thriller, as the duo of Inyere James scored a hat-trick while Odekunle Musliu fired a brace to earn the Oliseh Boys their first 3 points.

After losing their first two matches each, FC Ebedei 1-4 Cornerstone FC, Shooting Stars 4-2 FC Ebedei and Shooting Stars 5-0 Tradesafe FC, Tradesafe FC 1-3 Cornerstone FC, both teams then set eyes for a third-place finish and three points at the FC Ebedei Stadium in Apele, Sagamu.

It was the Oliseh Boys that claimed the bragging rights going into the break with a comfortable three-goal lead with goals from Musliu and Inyere.

With five minutes gone in the second half FC Ebedei 4-0, Tradesafe FC after a  terrific pass from Samuel Victor played in Inyere, and he did the rest by coolly clipping the ball over the goalkeeper for his second. 

Trade-safe FC seemed to have started what could have been a comeback after their striker made it 4-1 in the 69th minute and soon became 4-2 in less than three minutes 

Inyere in the 74th minute gave FC Ebedei a three-goal cushion scoring his hat-trick to make it 5-2, after he broke in, from an on-side position to hammer home in confident fashion.

In the closing minutes of the game, Tradesafe FC gave themselves a pat on the back scoring the third goal to put the scoreline at 5-3.

Remo Stars made history becoming the first team to win the Optima Energy Gold Cup title back-to-back and had goalkeeper Vincent Edafe to thank as he showed class during the penalty kicks after he made two saves.

The battle to claim the bragging rights lived up to its billing, as it was end-to-end football and fireworks from both teams.

The first real chance of the game came the way of the Oluyole Warriors in the 20th minute.

Samuel Stone muscled out two Remo Stars defenders to set up Tony Okachi who went past his marker to flick the ball into the box, leaving Edafe to push the ball awkwardly to the path of Joshua Akpan, but the attacking midfielder put his effort wide.

The Sky Blue Stars could have punished the Oluyole Warriors 12 minutes later after Samuel Anakwe dazzled past his markers but couldn’t off despite having goalkeeper Bamidele Adeniyi beat in goal.

Six minutes into the second half, Okorom Stanley’s superb strike at goal from a set piece was easily saved by Bamidele as he was sharp with his timing of the ball.

With 10 minutes to end the game, Bamidele made two saves in less than two minutes, from a low drive shot and corner kick to deny the Sky Blue Star.

With no winner in regulation time, both teams needed spot kicks to settle scores.

It was Remo Stars that had the day after scoring four while Edafe was outstanding after he stopped two spot kicks of Shooting Stars.

The victory had Remo Stars smiling home with One Million Naira and a beautiful gold-plated trophy while 3SC was rewarded with half a million Naira.

Shooting Stars will renew its rivalry with defending champions Remo Stars in the final of the 10th edition of the Optima Energy Gold Cup.

Recall in the last edition, the Sky Blue Stars mauled the Oluwole Warriors 4-0 to claim the trophy.

It’s a record for 3SC and Coach Gbenga Ogunbote, as both are making it to a third final of the preseason tournament after the Oluyole Warriors defeat Sunshine Stars by three goals to one.

3SC produced a five-star performance to claim the bragging rights over their southwest neighbours, Sunshine Stars.

The game was full of suspense and fireworks with end-to-end football that produced four goals, and two in each half.

Anthony Okachi should have made it 1-0 for the Oluyole Warriors in the earliest period of the South West derby after his long-range shoot-on target rattled the crossbar of the Owen Whales. Sunshine Stars had their half chances but was not enough to put them ahead.

Shooting Stars took the lead in the 20th minute after good attacking teamwork, which saw Abdallahi Hassan finding the back of the net from a rebound as Mustapha Lawal punches Stone Samuel’s effort away.

Sunshine Stars didn’t let the lead last and responded 22 minutes after, as Uzoechi Ejike made it 1-1 scoring from the spot kick after a 3SC defender was penalized for a handball in the box.

Okachi, who was a thorn in the flesh of the Owena Whale defenders, turned away from his marker to shoot the ball beyond the reach of Sunshine Stars’ goalkeeper and restored 3SC’s lead.

As Sunshine Stars pushed for the equalising goal to stretch the game to a penalty shootout, they got punished in added minutes of regulation time.

A needless foul on 3SC Promise Damala in the Owena Whales box, made the referee to award a penalty against them.

And Joshua Akpan converted the spot kick, thereby putting the icing on the cake and made it 3-1 for 3SC.

The goal is Akpan’s fifth of the Optima Energy Gold Cup, thus making him the top scorer.

The final of the pre – season tournament will take place on Saturday at the Remo Stars stadium in Ikenne.

As both teams settled into the game, 3SC had the first chance at goal, after  Opeoluwa Olufemi awkwardly missed the target, nodding the ball wide in the 7th minute.

Five minutes later, both teams should have scored. Shooting Stars had Udo who was in goal to thank after he made a reflex save from a screamer by a Gombe United attacking midfielder.

Samuel Ayankinde could have finished off inside the Gombe United box to put Shooting Stars ahead, but his delivery at goal was awkward.

Another real chance came begging for Gombe United to score the opening goal in the 22nd minute, but Shooting Stars had the woodwork to thank. Samaila Bello will rue his miss after he tried to chip the ball beyond Udo, but his effort was heavy as it hit the goalpost.

Ayankinde, then earn a reward for his hard work in the 29th minute, as he found Gombe United’s goal following a good exchange of passes in the buildup.

Shooting Stars were at the double in added time of 45 minutes, after Ayankinde got his brace with a right top corner delivery that made goalkeeper Abubakar helpless in goal.

The win had the Oluyole Warriors reclaim its top spot in Group B with 6 points and a plus five goals difference,  24 hours after Sporting Lagos had held on to it after they won their second Optima Energy Gold Cup game against Gombe United.

Gbenga Ogunbote says he’s not yet satisfied with his team’s depth, even as Shooting Stars flogged Beyond Limits in a five-goal thriller in an early fixture of Matchday One at the FC Ebedei Stadium in Sagamu.

Ogunbote, an Optima Energy Gold Cup winning coach with Remo Stars and now 3SC Head Coach in his post-match talk said he still needs to do more to build a formidable Oluyole Warriors.

“The Optima Energy Gold Cup is a platform for me and my assistants to strengthen the team as we countdown to the 2022/23 season; so am not carried away by the scoreline or victory against Beyond Limits, as there is still much work to do.

“For the players, the win is good for them as it will boost their confidence level and improve their play in subsequent matches in the preseason tourney.

“I think my team is growing in strength when compared to our performance in the last preseason tourney we had in Ikenne a few weeks ago.

“We didn’t do much in it, because I had worked with the team barely less than a month. So I used the window to have a firm assessment of the players that were retained and to know the departments which I need to recruit players for.

“Not taking anything away from Beyond Limits, they are a team I know and are good. They are a team, I didn’t need to tell you how they play as they can rattle any team regardless of your status.

“But in the game; they had a few careless moments, which I knew was going to happen and we made the most out of it. Of such moments were the two needless free kicks and penalty they gave away, which saw Akpan Joshua scoring from them to get his hat-trick.

Following his Man-of-the-match performance in Shooting Stars’ 1-0 win over Niger Tornadoes on Sunday, Moses Omoduemuke has revealed a desire to keep winning the hearts of fans of the Oluyole Warriors.
Omoduemuke gave Shooting Stars the lead in the seventh minute when he received a pass from Isiaka Mutiu, shrugged off his marker before he expertly bent the ball beyond the reach of Tornadoes goalkeeper George Michael.
The former Rivers United attacker, who was voted the man of the match in 3SC’s previous home game against Enyimba, disclosed he yearns to become a fan favorite in Ibadan.
“I want to thank the fans because they already believe in me. So I want to repay them well. I want to do more for them,” Omoduemuke told www.npfl.ng.

“My target is not to come to 3SC and just be part of the squad. I want to score more goals. I want to influence more games and repay the fans’ trust,” he concluded.
Omoduemuke has now scored two goals and provided one assist since he joined Shooting Stars during the mid-season transfer window.

SHOOTING STARS XI
31 Ogundare Detan, 11 Chidera Ezeh, 13 Anaekwe Ebuka, 2 Isiaka Mutiu, 5 Adekunle Adeniyi, 15 Abbey Benson, 9 Emmanuel Lucky (Adejubu 71), 22 Gali Falke, 23 Omoduemuke Moses (Utibe 88′), 10 Uko Anietie (Raheem 60′), 24 Opeoluwa Olufemi (Malomo 60′)
SUBS33 Udo Okechukwu, 16 Amodu Nurudeen, 3 Omololu Waheed, 21 Raheem Nafiu, 35 Ewenike Achibi, 27 Adejubu Ayo, 28 Malomo Taofeeq, 26 Archibong Utibe, 17 Sochima Elum

GOAL: Moses Omoduemuke 7′
YELLOW CARD: Ebuka Anaekwe 29′
RED CARD: NIL

NIGER TORNADOES XI #SHOTOR
George Michael 35, Adeyinka Najeem Jnr 3 (Jimmy 48′), Gabriel Wassa 22, Ifeanyi Okoye 14, Sunday Akinmoladun 5, Abiodun Adebayo 26, Munir Idris 15, Chinedu Ufere 8 (Hashim 48′), Emmanuel Jonas 18, Ahmadu Liman 10, Lukman Mohammed 21 (Danjuma 79′)
SUBSYinka David 1, Bolaji Adeyemo 4, Shamsudeen Hashim 7, Masud Danjuma 16, Jimmy Abdul 32, Abdurazak Yusuf 27, Nurudeen Jimoh 19, Abdullahi Yusuf 33 
GOAL: NIL
YELLOW CARD: Chinedu Ufere 39′
RED CARD: NIL

Katsina United FC and Shooting Stars FC U-15 sides have both made it through so the semi-final stage of the ongoing NPFL Laliga U-15 Promises Youth League, sponsored by ValueJet, with MTN standing strong as elite Partners.

shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan beat Sunshine Stars of Akure 2-1, while defending Champions, Katsina United peeped Wikki Tourists by a lone goal in the second match of the day to complete the semi final pairings.

Ajayi Samuel gave Shooting Stars the lead with volley from 20 yards out in the 9th minute while Juwon Adeyemi cancelled the lead for Sunshine 12 minutes later. The lads from Ibadan kept piling up the pressure and asking all the questions until Wahab Azan made it two in the 56th minute to ensure their semi final ticket is in the bag.

Coach of Shooting Stars FC, Adeyemo Ayodeji, in his post match briefing stated this: “The match was really tough for us, and I think it largely because our boys didn’t play to instructions. We hope to correct whatever mistakes made here today in our next game.

in the second match of the day, Abubakar Yasir’s 26th strike was all it took the defending Champions to book a semi final slot, as all efforts by the Bauchi based side to initiate a come back proved abortive.

Handler of Katsina United, Tukur Hassan in his post match reaction, said: “We have been facing this competition one game at a time and so far, it has worked for us. The boys actually played their hearts out in all departments and I’m proud of them.

Recall that this Katsina United side has qualified for the last four since the inception of the NPFL Laliga U-15 Promises Youth League in 2017, and lifting the coveted trophy in 2019 and 2021.

The semi final pairings of the U-15 Youth League will see Kano Pillars FC clashing with Remo Stars FC, and the second match of the day is a duel between Shooting Stars FC and Katsina United FC, on Thursday 5th May, 2022.

Kano Pillars FC U-15 side have progressed to the quarter-final stage of the NPFL Laliga U-15 Youth League currently holding in Ikenne, Ogun State, with both ValueJet and MTN playing pivotal roles as competition sponsor and elite partners respectively.

Bashir Muhammad brightened Pillars’ hopes of qualification when he gave the Sai Masu Gida side the lead in the first half, creating a scare for MFM FC who earlier booked their qualification to the next round, with 6 points from the first two games.

Two second half goals from Idris Khamis and Shamsudeen Mohammed sealed the victory for Kano lads, leaving MFM FC’s fate hanging in the balance, at least, until after the group decider between Lobi Stars FC and Plateau United FC.

In his post-match reaction the MFM FC, Adesina Mustapha stated that: “We only had a bad day in the office today, I know this is not how we play even on the average. I guess the boys actually became reluctant and loss of focus set in, probably as a result of the fact that we’ve already amassed 6 points from our first two games.

The match between Plateau United FC and Lobi Stars was meant to decide who joins Kano Pillars as the runners up to the quarter-finals from the group.

Lobi Stars FC had to play for nothing but pride after losing their first two games in the competition while Plateau United needed a victory by any margin to stake a claim for a quarter-final ticket.

The young lads from Jos considered two quick goals from Lobi Stars via some expensive goalkeeping errors and a second half consolation was not enough to see them through.

It was a battle of supremacy between Shooting Stars and Katsina United FC to determine the group winners, as both of them were tied on the same points going into the last group games of the competition.

After a barren first half that was characterized by physical abilities and individual skills from both teams, Katrina United took the lead through Kasimu Abdullahi’s strike from 30 yards out, but with about two minutes left to play in regulation time, Samuel Ajayi drew his side level with a swift volley that rendered the goalkeeper helpless.

The coach of shooting stars U-15 side had the following to say during the post-match press briefing: “We gave the match our best and I had faith in the boys that they would deliver because we had a decent preparation coming into this competition.”

After netting the first of two goals for Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC), forward Moses Omoduemuke expressed great delight at being pivotal in the 2-0 win over Enyimba International on Monday.
Omoduemuke deployed a lethal instinct to tap home his first goal for Oluyole Warriors in the 14th minute after Enyimba goalkeeper had parried Malomo Taofeeq’s effort. 
The former Rivers United attacker turned provider five minutes before the half time break. He benefited from Enyimba’s failure to clear their lines and selflessly set up Emmanuel Lucky who tapped into an empty net for his third goal of the season and 3SC’s second of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Matchday 25 encounter.

Omoduemuke disclosed how he shrugged off illness and mentally prepared himself to break the duck against Enyimba.
“I’m so delighted for the way I played today. For the past few games, I was not feeling fine. I had typhoid and had to treat that. But I’m happy to put that behind me and show what I am made of today,” Omoduemuke said.
“I knew I would score today right from our preparation. I did my personal training. I also did my prayers. I was very confident that my goals for the team would start counting today. So I’m happy I did it and helped the team too,” he added
Omoduemuke also reflected on his selfless act to set up Lucky’s goal which drew applause from the fans.
“I met him (Emmanuel) here. I knew we would connect right from when I watched him during a friendly game for us. He is young and hardworking. We now live together and I think all these things are helping us work together and help the team get better,” he concluded.

SHOOTING STARS XI
31 Ogundare Detan, 11 Ezeh Chidera, 13 Anaekwe Ebuka, 6 Olatunji Damilare (Isiaka 53′), 5 Adekunle Adeniyi, 4 Ezeala Uche, 9 Emmanuel Lucky (Opeoluwa 82′), 22 Ghali Falke (Ewenike 69′), 23 Omoduemuke Moses (Adejubu 69′), 10 Uko Anietie, 28 Malomo Taofeeq (Sochima 82′)
SUBS1 Okanlawon Olaide, 14 Augustine Bafan, 3 Omololu Waheed, 2 Isiaka Mutiu, 35 Ewenike Achibi, 24 Opeoluwa Olufeni, 27 Adejubu Ayo, 26 Archibong Utibe, 17 Sochima Elum
GOALS: Moses Omoduemuke 14′, Emmanuel Lucky 40′
YELLOW CARD: NIL
RED CARD: NIL

ENYIMBA XI
21 Djeri Sabirou Bassa, 2 Emmanuel Ampiah, 6 Nabil Yarou, 23 Adekunle Adeleke, 32 Bilal Yakubu (Obasi 76′), 13 Sadiq Abubakar (Godwin 76′), 16 Philip Ozor (Farouk 57′), 20 Cyril Olisema,  9 Emeka Obioma, 14 Samuel Kalu (Orok 57′), 25 Victor Mbaoma
SUBS  1 John Noble,  3 Daniel Darkwah, 17 Chigozie Obasi, 19 Orok Gabriel, 27 Farouk Mohammed, 28 Abel James, 38 Godwin Emmanuel
GOAL: NIL
YELLOW CARD: Samuel Kalu 35′
RED CARD: NIL