Following Remo Stars’ 1-0 victory over Sunshine Stars in their NPFL week two encounter at the Remo Stars Stadium, coach Daniel Ogunmodede opened up about the intensity and grit displayed in the southwest derby.
“It was a top game, an extremely tough game,” Ogunmodede remarked in his post-match interview with Sports247. “Maybe it comes as a derby being our first home game, first southwest derby. Maximum three points, I’m happy with that. Not a good game, not a fantastic game, but a good fight from the players.”
The match’s pivotal moment came early on, with Shuaib Ibrahim netting his first goal for Remo Stars in the 15th minute. He connected with a lofted ball from Ifeanyi Anaemena, outmuscling the defender and finishing calmly. Ogunmodede acknowledged the significance of the early lead, but highlighted Sunshine Stars’ strong response.
“After our early goal, Sunshine came out, and you could see the confidence they had. They don’t want to go through the kind of relegation battle they experienced last season, so they came with a different mentality this time.”
Ogunmodede praised the intense nature of the southwest derby, noting that both teams rose to the occasion. “The good thing for me is that a southwest derby must come with intensity. We need to feed the fans quality football. They need to come out and enjoy it, not just see a stronger side defeat a weaker side. Both teams came out pound for pound.”
The coach was also pleased with how his side complemented their away victory from last week by securing another three points at home. “One important thing for me as a coach is complementing last week’s away victory with another 3 points,” he concluded.
Despite not being overly satisfied with the overall quality of the game, Ogunmodede emphasized the importance of the victory and commended both teams for displaying a commendable level of football.
