NPFL: Aliu Salawudeen late goal secures a point for Sporting Lagos at home against Bayelsa United

Aliu Salawudeen opened the scoring in front of a sold out Mobolaji Johnson Arena during the Naija Super 8 final against Remo Stars back in July.

Sporting Lagos central defender, Aliu Salawudeen spared Coach Paul Offor’s blushes after scoring a last minute goal to secure a 1-1  draw at home against Bayelsa United, Soccernet.ng reports.

The noisy Lagosians have recorded just four wins in their debut NPFL season, all of which have come at home, and were hoping to end the year on a high with the last home game of the year.

Super Eagles striker,  Junior Lokosa returned to the starting lineup, while Jonathan Alukwu who recently returned from an injury was relegated to a spot on the bench.

Desperate to right their wrongs after a disappointing 2-0 loss to Enugu Rangers last weekend, Sporting started the game on the front foot, with the Happy Corner proudly cheering them on.

Junior Lokosa came close to breaking the deadlock, after a whipped cross found the 30-year-old in the box, but he couldn’t connect with it properly as the Bayelsa United goalkeeper shrugged him off the ball.

In the twenty-third minute, Robert Mizo became the first player to hit double digits in goals this season, as he calmly slotted the ball past Nwoke to score his tenth of the season and give Bayelsa United the lead.

On the hour mark, Junior Lokosa made way and Salawudeen was introduced as the hosts threw all they had into the game to avoid dropping further points.

A red card to Bayelsa’s Kehinde Lawal gave Sporting the numerical advantage, but the away side kept things tight at the back, before a stunning strike from Salawudeen levelled the scores with barely any time left to spare.

Sporting will be on the road for their final game of the year as they travel to Jos to face Plateau United next week Thursday.