Buruj Sports Academy on Thursday afternoon recorded their first win on the opening day of the 2019 English Super Cup tournament over fellow Nigerians Genesis Global Academy with a thrilling 3-2 win at the sprawling City of Manchester University Sports Complex to brighten their chance of moving to the next stage.
The defending champions, Buruj Boys, have earlier in the day held Newton Youth Academy to a 3-3 draw in their opening group match with all the three goals coming off the boot of diminutive playmaker Azeez Oseni.
But the match against Nigerian brothers Genesis Global who are participating in the competition for the first time provided a sterner test as the newcomers raced into the lead before the brilliant Buruj side managed to settle down to real business as the highly enterprising Azeez fashioned a fantastic equaliser from a freekick midway into the first half.
Genesis Boys responded by taking another lead in the second-half following a mix-up in Buruj’s defence line before midfielder Baseet Adebayo’s stunning strike levelled the scores after hard work from striker Noah Salaudeen who was playing as a central midfielder.
At that stage, the highly competitive game was heading for another draw but the apparently exhausted but very determined Buruj side will have none of that as a leading striker, Adeleke Otasanya, rattled the Genesis keeper with a blinding shot to score what ended up to be a winner three minutes before the final whistle.
To say that the opponent was extremely stunned and deflated with the final result, ending as losers, is, to put it mildly.
While reacting on the performance of his team on the opening day, the CEO of Buruj Sports Academy, Salaudeen Waheed, praise the effort put in by his players, just as he dedicates the first victory in this year’s edition of the competition to Rev.Mother Esther Abimbola Ajayi who stood solidly behind the management and players to make the dream of coming over to the United Kingdom this year again a reality.
He also adds that the main objective for the team is to surpass the achievement of the last edition with the quality and determination of some of the players who made the trip.
Meanwhile, on Friday, Buruj Boys will face Rochdale AFC in another group A match by 11.30 in the morning before they will round off their group games versus Saddlers FC a few hours later in a tournament that is being organised by Team Tours Direct, a Swansea-based Sports And Tours management group.
