Toyin Amuzu 0-5 Joju Fadairo Babes: ‘Osimhen of Abeokuta’ leads demolition of Leragun Army in semi-final clash
Recap
Muda Lawal Stadium, Abeokuta
Toyin Amuzu
Joju Fadairo Babes
(Made In Africa Sport) – Abass Akorede was on target again as Joju Fadairo Babes defeated Toyin Amuzu 5-0 to reach the final of the 2024 Egba Youth Football Championship on Saturday, 25 May 2024, at the Muda Lawal Stadium, Abeokuta.
The Asiwaju Egba Boys continued their fine run in the tournament after victories against Golden Stars and Gbench Achievers in the round of 16 and quarter-final, respectively.
Despite being the only team in the semi-finals to have won all knockout games in regulation time, victory seemed uncertain as they locked horns with Toyin Amuzu, historically one of the strongest teams in the tournament’s history.
In their nine previous games in the tournament, the Leragun Army were yet to taste defeat in regulation time, winning five and drawing four – exiting the 2022 edition through a 6-5 penalty shoot-out loss to Ultimate – making it the joint longest unbeaten run ever in the EYFC.
Such a feat was not meant to tremble the Muhammed Adeboye-led team as they started on a strong foot and took the lead in the eleventh minute after a quick counter-attacking transition led to Mykle Siana setting up Abass Akorede to tap in from close range.
Seven minutes later, Afeez Junaid diverted Anuoluwapo Bamidele‘s corner kick into his net after a mix-up with his goalkeeper, Adeleke Adewale, who attempted to claim the ball in the air.
With some hopes of a comeback after resuming the second half, Toyin Amuzu continued to push for a goal. Still, as if his first-half own goal was not enough, Afeez Junaid’s day turned from bad to worse when he attempted to stop an attacking phase from Joju, but his studs caught Abass Akorede’s leg and was given a marching order for the cynical foul.
Two goals down, a man down against a defence that had conceded only one goal throughout the tournament, could only mean one thing: ELIMINATION!
But Fadairo Babes were not going to end it there. They opened the floodgates of goals, with Emmanuel Junior capitalising on Adewale’s goalkeeping blunder to make it 3-0 in the 50th minute.
In quick succession, Adewale was booked after his failed attempt to stop a 1v1 resulted in a foul. Abass Akorede stepped up and calmly sent him the wrong way to score his seventh goal of the tournament, overtaking Toyin Amuzu’s Toyosi Popoola as the top scorer.
Mykle Siana, who had been terrorising the entire Amuzu’s defence on both flanks, capped his fine performance with a goal from a close-range shot.
WHAT IT MEANS
The result propels the debuting Joju Fadairo Babes to the final where they will face Favour FC at 2 pm on Sunday, 2 June 2024, at the Muda Lawal Stadium, while Toyin Amuzu have a chance of redeeming their dented image in the loser’s final against Real Inter, 3 hours before the final at the same venue.
Results
| Club | 1st Half | 2nd Half | Goals | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyin Amuzu | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 |
| J.F Babes | 2 | 3 | 5 | 56 |
MAN OF THE MATCH
Mykle Siana was Made In Africa Sport’s player of the game. He coordinated his team’s attack effectively throughout the match, scoring one, assisting one with three shots on target and crosses each and was fouled twice.
REACTION
Joju Fadairo Babes head coach, Muhammed Adeboye, was full of respect for his opponent despite thrashing them and revealed that their determination not to concede unless they scored has been their driving force in the tournament.
“Toyin Amuzu is one of the teams I always respect,” Adeboye said. “They have quality players and I always try to defeat a team that everybody respects to show them that anything can happen in football.”
“They have more players than us, but I believe my own players can do anything in competitions like this and that’s what we saw today.
“I always tell my players that if I don’t score, a team should not score against me, that’s why we have conceded only one goal in this competition so far,” he said.
Adeboye also waded into the top scorer conversation between Abass Akorede and Toyosi Popoola, pitching his tent with his lanky striker who has scored five goals in his last two outings at EYFC after a hat-trick in the quarter-final against Gbench Achievers.
“Abass Akorede is the Osimhen of Egba, the Osimhen of Abeokuta is the only player that everybody is proud of. We believe in him more than anybody, Toyosi is also a good player but I believe in Abass more than any striker in Abeokuta,” he concluded.
TEAM SHEETS
MATCH STATISTICS
