Kwara United Football Club of Ilorin on Monday – yesterday, February 3 – beat visiting El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri 2-0 in a 2024/2025 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) fixture.
The Match Day 22 fixture, which was played at the Rashidi Yekini Main Bowl of the George Innih Stadium Complex in Ilorin, moved the hosts three places to 10th position onn the league table from 13th.
In spite of an early scare from the visitors, who wasted several goalscoring chances, Kwara United gradually settled into the game, especially in the second half.
The hosts who were without Adekunle Segun, who missed the match due to a suspension from accumulated yellow cards, saw Junior Aimufua’s early attempt stopped by the opposition’s defence line.
Kwara United turned defence into attack in the 39th minute when Akanni Akeem delivered a well-calculated long pass to Aimufua.
His precise cross was met by Wasiu Alalade, who sent the stadium crowd into wild jubilation as the home side took a 1-0 lead into half-time.
The second half saw both teams pushing for more goals, with Shola AbdulRaheem striking a powerful shot against the crossbar in the 63rd minute.
However, the moment of the match came when substitute Wasiu Jimoh exhibited experience and talent when he received a pass from Aimufua for a thunderous strike from about 30 yards out.
Speaking after the match, Tunde Sanni, the coach of Kwara United, expressed satisfaction with his team’s progress, adding that securing the maximum points was more important than just playing well.
“With the inclusion of experienced players, we will continue to build and improve as the NPFL progresses,” he stated.
With the latest win, Kwara United are now 10th on the NPFL table with 29 points from 21 games.
Their next match is against Ikorodu City FC of Lagos on Sunday at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena at Onikan.
