Some Lagos football fans are still in shock after defending champions, Smart City suffered 2-6 defeat against NNL side, Vandrezzer in the semi-final of Winners Golden Bet Lagos State Challenge Cup played on Wednesday at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.
Some of them who spoke to our correspondent said Smart City started well but lost concentration in the second half which paved way for their opponents to win the game, while some said the defending champions allowed fans pressure to overwhelm them which cost them defeat.
One of the fans, Kunle Adekola said he was shocked to have seen Smart City concede five goals in the second half. He blamed Smart City defenders for poor marksmanship and lacked focus.
“This is an embarrassing result for defending champions. We came here to support them from far and near unfortunately we saw depleted Smart City. They lost the match because they were too confident of winning. Aside from this, they also allowed fans pressure to overwhelm them and at the end of the day, they could not manage their success very well. I wish Vandrezzer best of luck in the final,” he said.
One of the coaches in Ikeja who refused to mention his name said Smart City players played to the gallery which cost them a heavy defeat. He said they underrated their opponents and they dearly w paid for it.
“Smart City players should blame themselves for their disgrace. They were leading before halftime and by the time they came back in the second half, they began to impress their fans. This is a semi-final match, I expect them to remain focused throughout the game unfortunately they allowed fans pressure to overwhelm them,” he said.
Another football fan, Oluwole said both teams played good football but frowned at the goals Smart City conceded in the second half. He said nobody expected Smart City would concede more goals despite their performances in Ottasolo pre-season and other matches before their Lagos FA Cup outing.
Smart City’s poor run in the semi-final forced the football fans to leave the stadium before the regulation time. The fans who could not hide their feeling said they were shocked and dazed by the outcome of the result.
Meanwhile in the first semi-final played earlier, Box To Box defeated Gbagada FC 5-4 in a penalty shootout after 2-2 at the regulation time. With this victory, Vandrezzer would face Box To Box FC in this year’s Lagos FA Cup final.
