Red-hot Edo Queens FC yesterday evening at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium Benin City, proved their superiority over Adamawa Queens of Yola, as the Moses Aduku -led ladies trashed the Yola based girls 4-0.
Emem Essien’s brace, Suliat Abideen’s sumptuous volley, and Glory Osagahe’s beautiful header gave Edo Queens football club an end of the year sweet victory over Adamawa Queens in week four of the Nigerian Women’s Football League Premiership.
Edo Queens went into the game with brewed confidence having not been defeated by their Adamawa counterparts in four meetings. The girls settled in well immediately as they dominated play with flair, pace, and quick questions asking about the goal of their opponents.
The first scoring opportunity of the game fell to Edo Queens after striker Abideen Suliat, found Yemisi Samuel, with a through pass – the forward breezed past her markers but could send in a weak shot at Adamawa’s goalkeeper.
The team kept the push in the early minutes of the game and they converted in the 10th minute of the play. Abideen Suliat picked up a pass from Ajimuda Rebecca, at the touchline, drove towards the center, and released her trademarked volley which blitzed past the goalkeeper.
Just when Adamawa Queens could know what was up against them, Emem Essien connected well with a cross into her path to score her first goal of the season, the team’s second.
Adamawa Queens couldn’t pull anything against the home side in the first half of the game as all efforts to get to the opponent’s post were cut short by the solid midfield of the home side.
Actions resumed after the first-half break and it took the home side only 9 minutes into the second half to get the third goal. Emem Essien once again rose higher than all Adamawa Queens to get her second goal for the day.
Moses Aduku made three substitutions to beef up his attack in the 63rd minutes and Glory Osagahe quickly settled down as she turned thorn in the flesh of the opponents with close-range efforts and chances not buried in her few minutes of introduction.
The bulky forward however got a goal in the 79th minute of the game. A good build-up play was made of 13 passes before Joy Jerry sent in a good cross into the box which met Glory Osagahe’s head to get her goal within a few minutes spent on the field of play to put the game to rest.
Other efforts made by Coach Jacob Vandi, of Adamawa Queens all proved abortive as none could pull any surprise against a superior Edo Queens until the end of the game.
Center Referee Aliyu Aminat signaled the final whistle to send Edo Queens players, coaching crew, and supporters into a joyous celebration – third win on the bounce since suffering a 1-0 defeat in the hands of Nasarawa Amazons in week one of the season. The girls have now scored 10 goals in three games, conceding only three to go first on the group B log.
In an interview after the victory Edo Queens’s Coach Moses Aduku, said:
“To score four goals is not an easy thing and Adamawa is not a pushover, but my girls did their best, played to instructions and we thank God we took our chances, though we have more chances to score.”
“Our next game in Akwa Ibom is not going to be an easy task, but we will go there prepared because everyone wants to win, so, we are going to fight it out and try to see what we can do.”
For coach Jacob Vandi of Adamawa Queens he said, “Edo Queens is a standard team, a set of good players and their play is different.”
“By God’s grace, we will make it to the Super Six. Take a look at my team and you will see they are a crop of young players of 16, 17, and so on, so they are good to go.
