The home side came in the encounter against Bayelsa United on the back of a six-game winless run that saw them sink into 10th position on the NPFL log. The game came off with a flying start as Ademola Kareem struck in the 11th minute to give his team the early lead.

After the early goal conceded by a poor piece of defence, the visitors upped the antè, piling a lot of pressure on the Shooting Stars’ defence. Chinedu Anozie, in goal, made a couple of saves to shut out the Bayelsa attack. 

Seven minutes were added on at the end of 45 minutes due to a handful of stoppages that punctuated the game. Deep into stoppage time, there was a bizarre break as a member of the Bayelsa technical crew, who had been red-carded, refused to exit the pitch. 

A few minutes into the second half, the visitors continued from where they left off in the first half as they piled pressure on the Oluyole Warriors backline. Gbenga Ogunbote made the first substitution of the game in the 63rd minute when Akpan Joshua replaced Malomo Taofeek, who was having a bad game.

Bayelsa United pulled one back in the game but the goal was rightly disallowed for offside. Shortly after in the 76th minute, the referee waved off a strong penalty call when Robert Mizo was clearly brought down in the box.

The visitors took total control of the game in the second half but lacked the cutting edge to punish the Oluyole Warriors who were largely pedestrian. 3SC held on to their slender lead to claim their first victory in six games.

When quizzed about his team’s performance, Gbenga Ogunbote spoke about the poor morale in the squad and the plan they had going into the encounter.  “The truth be said, having gone six games without a win, we expect that the confidence level would have dropped. The confidence level dropped but all we just wanted was to come back to winning ways and thank God we’ve been able to get that,” he said.

Despite Sunday’s victory, Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan are currently languishing in 10th position with 22 points, 7 points away from CAF Confederations Cup places. However, it is important to note that the Oluyole Warriors have a game in hand.

Bayelsa United on the other hand stay rooted to the bottom of the log with just 14 points accrued from 17 games this season. The prosperity boy’s fortunes are not likely to change soon with the departure of Robert Mizo to Libyan side, Al Hilal Benghazi, as they will be missing a player who has scored half of their 20 league goals so far in the 2023/2024 NPFL campaign.

Up next for Shooting Stars is a trip down south to face Sporting Lagos in the south-west derby at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Onikan. Bayelsa United, on the other hand, will be welcoming Bendel Insurance to the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa.

The post NPFL: Shooting Stars end winless run with hard-fought victory against bottom-placed Bayelsa United appeared first on Made In Africa Sport.

The Oluyole Warriors entered the match knowing they needed a win to get back on track and started brightly, keeping the visitors pinned back in their half.

Lanky midfielder Lawal Abdullahi almost put the home side ahead in the third minute with a header that narrowly missed the top left corner.

Against the run of play, Katsina United took the lead in the ninth minute after a goalmouth scramble that saw Andrew Idoko poke the ball home.

Unfazed by the setback, 3SC responded quickly. In the 15th minute, Malomo Taofeek converted a tidy pass from Akpan Joshua to restore parity.

Ayobami Adekunle saw his shot saved for a corner in the 32nd minute, while Junior Okoko’s fierce free kick was kept out by Darlington Ovuda in goal. The first half ended with the score level.

Coach Gbenga Ogunbote made a double substitution at halftime, bringing on Kareem Ademola and Mustapha Adams for Oke Kayode and Ayobami Adekunle to inject fresh energy into the attack.

Andrew Idoko had a chance to double Katsina United’s lead in the 55th minute with a header that cannoned off the woodwork.

3SC continued to press for a winner, but the Katsina United defense held firm, condemning the Ibadan-based side to their second consecutive home draw.

The post Match Report: Shooting Stars’ winless streak stretches to four after consecutive home draw appeared first on Made In Africa Sport.

Shooting Stars, currently in sixth place in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), are desperate to snap their three-game winless streak as they host Katsina United at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex on Sunday.

Despite a promising start to the season that saw them sit comfortably in the top four, the team’s recent slump has them seeking a much-needed victory. A disappointing loss to Lobi Stars, a frustrating home draw against struggling Heartland FC, and a derby defeat to Sunshine Stars have all contributed to their downward slide.

Their opponents, Katsina United, are faring even worse. Languishing in fourteenth place with only three wins in eleven games, they too are desperate to turn their fortunes around. Their recent form is equally concerning, having failed to secure a win in their last three outings.

The past two NPFL encounters between these teams in Ibadan have seen Katsina United suffer 1-0 defeats. On the road this season, their performance has been particularly poor, managing only two draws (1-1 against Heartland and 0-0 against Rangers International).

Fortunately for Oluyole Warriors fans, their captain Malomo Taofeek has recovered from a knock that sidelined him against Heartland and will be available to lead the charge against Katsina United. This return provides a much-needed boost to the team’s morale and hopes for a return to winning ways.

With both teams desperately seeking a victory, Sunday’s match promises to be a tense and exciting affair. The Oluyole Warriors will be hoping to capitalize on their home advantage and utilize Taofeek’s leadership to secure a crucial win and climb back up the league table.

The post Match Preview: Shooting Stars aim to end winless streak against Katsina United appeared first on Made In Africa Sport.

Buzzing with confidence as they’ve always shown at home, it was the Oluyole Warriors that started the encounter on the front foot and dictated play, which could have been rewarded as early as the seventh minute, but Malomo’s effort was saved for a corner kick by the goalkeeper.

The breakthrough, however, came in the 16th minute when Ayobami Adekunle converted a tidy pass from Joshua Akpan to give his side the lead and register his second goal of the season.

Heavy downpours, however, limited the free flow of play between both sides due to the wet pitch, but Niger Tornadoes went on to benefit from the situation to grab an equaliser after Chinedu Anozie failed to save a shot from a distance comfortably, with Chidi Ernest poking home the spilt effort to restore parity for his side to end the first half with a goal apiece for both sides.

3SC restarted the game with a bang and wasted no time restoring their lead with about a 40-yard screamer from centre-back Ayodeji Bamidele just a minute after the second half resumed.

Ayobami Adekunle almost got his second of the day in the 49th minute, but the goalkeeper got a hand to his effort while a Tornadoes defender cleared for a corner kick.

3SC was, however, lucky not to be pegged back again as Akintunde Azeez, who had just been introduced for Musa Najere, hit the woodwork after a counter-attack.

The Oluyole Warriors put the game beyond Tornadoes’ reach when centre-back Adelowo Gbolagade headed home a corner kick from Malomo Taofeek to score Shooting Stars’ third goal of the day, much to the loud cheers of excited fans present.

It became an easy ride for the home side, who comfortably moved the ball around confidently and were cheered on by the fans. The final goal was scored in the 88th minute after substitute Kareem Ayinde poked home a spilt effort from the Tornadoes goalkeeper to get his second goal of the season.

FULL-TIME STATISTICS

Shooting Stars 4-1 Niger Tornadoes

Goals from Ayobami Adekunle, Ayodeji Bamidele, Adelowo Gbolagade & Kareem Ayinde ensures the Oluyole Warriors eased past Tornadoes in a 5-goal thriller to maintain 100% winning record in Adamasingba.#NPFLWithMIAS #NPFL24 pic.twitter.com/CoclZ6mwf4

— Made In Africa Sport (@madeinafricaweb) November 5, 2023

The Oluyole Warriors will next take a trip to Ilorin next weekend to take on Kwara United for the matchday eight NPFL fixture.

The post Match Report: Goals galore in Ibadan as Oluyole Warriors put four past Ikon Allah boys to go joint-top appeared first on Made In Africa Sport.

The Oluyole Warriors were outplayed by Remo Stars in the highly anticipated Southwest derby during the midweek matchday six fixtures, which the Sky Blue Stars won 3-0.

The loss caused 3SC to drop slightly in the standings, placing them in fourth place. A victory in Ibadan on Sunday could propel the Warriors back to the top of the table if other results favour them.

We go for the maximum points3️⃣. pic.twitter.com/NHaP9YywuG

— Shooting Stars SC (@ShootingSc) November 4, 2023

Niger Tornadoes, on the other hand, were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Enyimba and currently sit 15th in the standings with just 7 points from 6 games.

3SC’s captain, Malomo Taofeek, expressed in the club’s Facebook post released ahead of the game: “Now that we are back home, we have no option but to make up for the loss and erase those painful memories. Sunday’s game against Niger Tornadoes presents the best opportunity for us to do that.”

However, Niger Tornadoes have faced defeat in all their visits to Ibadan since 2011, losing in all five games played during that period.

Vice-captain Ghali Falke has missed the previous two games due to injury, and it remains uncertain if the right-back will be available against Tornadoes on Sunday.

Goalkeeper Darlington Ovuda also sustained an injury against Remo Stars and may be unavailable for selection as well.

The post Match Preview: Oluyole Warriors aim to bounce back with Ikon Allah Boys after derby defeat appeared first on Made In Africa Sport.

A brace from skipper Malomo Taofeek was enough to sink resilient Gombe United as the Oluyole Warriors had to fight back from a goal down at the Lekan Salami Stadium in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) matchday three encounter.

How it happened

The Oluyole Warriors went all out right from kickoff and had two early chances wasted in the second minute as Alex Aghahowa shot high from the edge of the box while Ayobami Adekunle‘s solo run into the box was thwarted for a corner kick. Joshua Akpan also had a goal-bound effort blocked in the seventh minute.

However, it was Gombe United that took the lead against the run of play in the tenth minute after Bala Aliko poked home a tame cross into the box, catching Darlington Ovuda off guard in goal.

Undeterred by the visitor’s goal, 3SC continued to go all out and were all over the Savannah Scorpions but just could not get the ball past the goalkeeper in goal, with chances from Oke Kayode, Olawale Mutiu, and Malomo Taofeek gone begging to end the first half.

Coach Gbenga Ogunbote, in an attempt to get the needed breakthrough, made three changes just before the second half kicked off. The trio of Douglas Archiv, Taye Muritala, and Mumuni Abdulkareem replaced Ghali Falke, Ayobami Adekunle, and Joshua Akpan.

The much-needed equalizer finally came through for 3SC just four minutes after the restart through skipper Malomo Taofeek, who received the ball from Abdulkareem Mumuni and curled a one-time effort past the Gombe United goalkeeper to restore parity for the Ibadan-based side.

It then became a one-sided affair as 3SC kept dictating play and asking all the questions, searching for a winner.

They got rewarded for their resilience late in the game when skipper Malomo Taofeek scored his second of the day, securing a vital three points for the Gbenga Ogunbote-tutored side.

Statistics

FULL-TIME STATISTICS

Shooting Stars 2-1 Gombe United

A brace from skipper, Malomo Taofeek was enough to sink resilient Gombe United as the Oluyole Warriors were made to fight back from a goal down at the Lekan Salami Stadium.#NPFLWithMIAS #NPFL24 pic.twitter.com/2CGg8ILHdt

— Made In Africa Sport (@madeinafricaweb) October 15, 2023

Man of the Match

Malomo Taofeek

What’s Next

Shooting Stars will be making a trip to Uyo as they will be away to Akwa United for the matchday four NPFL fixture next week.

The post Shooting Stars 2-1 Gombe United: Malomo Taofeek leads Oluyole Warriors to comeback victory appeared first on Made In Africa Sport.