It was a day of celebration for the players of Papa Queens of Epe after they defeated the newly promoted championship team, Dannaz Ladies of Ikeja in the final of Standard Queen’s Championship held on Sunday at the FIFA legacy pitch of National stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
The match which was watched by a mammoth crowd was put together by Sade Ekun as part of the preparatory ground for the teams ahead of the championship league which starts this month at Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.
Dannaz who were favored to win the tournament lost 5-4 on a penalty shoot-out after one goal apiece at the regulation time.
Before the match went into a penalty shoot-out, both teams played purposeful football as Solaty Fatimoh hit the target in the 56 minutes before the goal was quickly canceled by Odebode Omolara in the 61st minutes to end the game in a stalemate.
Reacting to the victory, Papa Queen’s coach, Adeboye Soneye expressed gratitude to God for the victory and noted that his girls were more determined to beat their opponents.
“Our match against Dannaz is always a tough battle and I thank God that we were able to conquer them today.It was a good match and at the same time my girls deserved to win the cup,” he boasts.
In her own comment, Dannaz coach, Dr. Diana Asak said she was shocked over defeat and commended her girls for a good fight throughout the encounter.
Match coordinator, Sade Ekun thanked the participating teams, referees, media, and other football stakeholders who contributed one way or the other to the success of the competition.
She explained that the purpose of the competition is to give the teams a platform to prepare them for future competitions, especially teams that are in championships.
“I must confess that the tournament has recorded a huge success because this is the first edition and I am impressed with the standard, organization, and officiating of the tournament. By next edition, I will be thinking about how to expand the tournament from four teams to eight teams,” she said.
The winners went home with a trophy and cash prize as gift items were given to the outstanding players in the tournament.
