In a pulsating clash that had fans on the edge of their seats, Lobi Stars beat Sunshine Stars 3-2 at the Lafia Township Stadium.
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Tiza Samuel looks to have justified his price tag by grabbing a brace to put his side in a driving seat.
The Pride of Benue understood the importance of securing all points in yesterday’s tie and kicked start the early proceedings with the needed urge by pressurizing the visitors from the South West region in search of an opener.
The Yes Father boys failed to break the deadlock after several attempts going into the break with no goal separating both sides.
There was full of dramatic activities in the last 45 minutes of the cagey tie, John Lazarus and Danbani Alao were replaced by Yusuf Adewale and Adeleke Ajibola for more offensive play.
Shortly after, the game burst into life when Lobi Stars’ Tiza Samuel broke the deadlock by capitalizing on goalkeeper Mustapha Lawal’s error to spark wide jubilation from the home fans when he tapped the ball into the net in the 53rd minute, changing the scoreline to 1-0
The former Kwara United and Shooting Stars forward doubled the lead in the 70th minute when he jumped taller from the far post and nodded Rabiu Mohammed’s precise cross to make the scoreline 2-0.
As the match wore on, the intensity only increased. Both teams had their fair share of opportunities, with near misses and last-ditch defending keeping the scoreline intact.
However, the Akure Gunners got another chance and never hesitated when they reduced the deficit through Taiwo Abdulrafiu in the 79th minute when he showcased his clinical finishing by firing a precise shot past goalkeeper Emmanuel Daniel of the Makurdi-based, nestling in the back of the net.
Adeleke Ajibola in acres of space nodded the ball into the back of the net while attacking the far post, sending the Shoe Get Size Boys fans into rapturous ovation to change the scoreline to 3-1 in the 85th minute.
However, the visitors scored their second of the day in the final minutes of the stoppage time through Micheal Olalusi, when his strike rested into the net which reduced the deficit to 3-2 upon the final whistle.
The home victory in Lafia gave Lobi Stars the needed maximum points, climbing to second position on the NPFL table after two games.
In a post-match interview with newsmen shortly after the game, Coach Eugene Agagbe thanked God for the home victory and promised to go back to the drawing board to work on the lads in the areas identified saying the team is nearing perfection.
Man of the Match, Tiza Samuel, has this to say after scoring a brace: “I’m happy to be on the scoresheet, most especially as it is our home game and I will continue to work hard to score many goals as the season progresses”.
Lobi Stars will be away on matchday 3 to Katsina United in the coming weekend.
