NPFL: Shooting Stars triumph in South-West derby, but Enyimba quench continental football hopes

A first-half strike from Christian Pyagbara was all Shooting Stars of Ibadan needed to win their final game of the season against Sporting Lagos, Soccernet.ng reports.

Shooting Stars welcomed Sporting Lagos to the Lekan Salami Stadium on Sunday, in their final game of the 2023/2024 Nigeria Premier Football League season.

Aside from the fact that it was a South-West derby, the game held a high level of significance because of what was at stake－the Oluyole Warriors needed a win to keep their hopes of playing on the continent alive, while Sporting Lagos needed to win to keep their hopes of remaining in the top flight alive.

Both teams were evenly matched in the opening embers, with Sporting Lagos matching everything that the Oluyole Warriors brought to the table despite playing away from home.

However, Shooting Stars soon started to dominate the fixture, bossing the game despite the absence of their star man Abiodun Ayobami.

They eventually got the lead after some beautiful piece of football. Christian Pyagbara pounced on a well-weighted cross from the right of Shooting Stars’ attack and sent a header into the net to make it 1-0 after 38 minutes.

Sporting Lagos’ Jonathan Alukwu thought he had scored the equalizer after he put the ball in the net a few minutes later. But the goal was ruled out for offside, and the home side took their lead into the break.

The second half was quite balanced, but Shooting Stars could have easily scored more goals if not for Daddy Abdulrahman’s profligacy and Christian Nwoke’s heroics in the goalposts.

The Oluyole Warrios eventually held out for the 1-0 win, but the result was not good enough, as Enyimba’s 2-0 win over Plateau United ensured that Shooting Stars finished fourth.

Only three teams from the NPFL and the FA Cup winner get to represent Nigeria on the continent. Hence, only Enugu Rangers, Remo Stars, and Enyimba will qualify from the NPFL.