By Kanu Samuel
Sunshine Stars U-19 continued their impressive run of form with a commanding 3-1 victory over Harmony FC in the Federation Cup play-offs at Osogbo Township Stadium.
Yakubu Shaibu opened the scoring in the opening minutes of the encounter with a stunning strike from Khaleel Nurudeen’s sumptuous pass to hand his side an early lead.
Nurudeen, who proved to be the chief creator throughout the match, was again involved in the second goal as he set up Shaibu for his brace in the 20th minute of the entertaining contest.
Harmony FC responded positively in a bid to reduce the deficit with a series of promising attacking moves, but the Ondo State youth side stood firm to repel their efforts.
The disciplined N-Youth campaigners, coached by Adenike Ayeni, extended their lead to three before the central referee signalled for half-time.
Ugochukwu Laurence scored the third goal from Edwin Miracle’s square pass to end the first half with Sunshine Stars U-19 comfortably ahead 3-0.
The second half produced more attacking intent from both sides, but it was Harmony FC who managed to pull one back with a consolation goal as Sunshine Stars U-19 coasted to a deserved 3-1 victory.
The team will now return to Akure to focus on their league campaign while awaiting their next Federation Cup fixture.
Head coach Adenike Ayeni commended her players for their discipline and commitment both on and off the pitch.
“We are going back to Akure to restrategise ahead of our next league match, while also waiting to see which team we will face in the next round of the Federation Cup.
“Our victory against Harmony FC was not without mistakes, but when we return to base, we will work on the areas where we noticed improvements are needed,” she said.
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