By John Kayode
David Onovo’s 21st minutes strike was all Sunshine stars needed to earn a convincing win against Lobi Stars of Markurdi at the Ondo state sports complex .
The Ondo state sponsored side started the match with confidence gaining possession in the first five minutes of the match but no chance (s) was created .
Christian madu of Lobi stars however produced a long range shot from outside the vital area which sailed wide .
Five minutes later , Sunshine stars lanky defender Udom Ekerette rose high in the opponents’ box but his effort was not good enough to give Sunshine stars the opener .
The home team showed class in defense and displayed good football artistry in midfield which led to a pressure in Lobi stars half in the 18 minutes
Lobi stars defence, marshalled by Lazarus John , Sunday chinedu , Monday Akile and kalu orji swiftly responded to stars onslaught which resulted into a corner kick in the 20th minutes .
Sunshine stars goal eventually arrived in the 21st minutes , goal sensation, David Onovo netting for the home team to the admiration of fans at the stadium.
Sunshine stars continued mounting pressure immediately after the goal in search of another but Lobi stars were able to surmount the pressure
In the 36th minutes Imo ikemdinachi fired a shot from 36 yards but Lobi stars goalkeeper Daniel Emmanuel was alive punch for a corner kick
Efforts by Sunshine Stars to increase the tally before the end of the first half wasn’t enough as the half ended 1-0
A scoring chance came begging In the 65th minutes , this time Yusuf Ibrahim failed to connect having received a superb pass from Imo ikemdinachi.
Another missed opportunity was experienced again in the 73rd minutes lucky Emmanuel Gyang was unlucky as he miscued having received a pass inside the 18 yard box from Ibrahim Yusuf .
Edith Agoye however introduced the duo of jide Jimoh and Cletus Emotan Eba in the 80th minutes to add bite to Sunshine Stars attack , lucky Emmanuel Gyang and AbdulAziz Ajagbe, made way .
In the 86th minutes Mustafa lawal saved Sunshine stars with a stretch after Joseph Atule struck from an acute angle
In the 88th minutes Samson Olasupo was introduced to replace David Onovo , few seconds later Ibrahim Yusuf missed a sitter inside the box.
The match however ended 1-0 in favor of Sunshine Stars FC.
Edith Agoye who addressed journalists after the match described it as a tough one .
” I’m glad the boys played well, and they proved it’s a must we got the vital three points.”
Up next for Sunshine stars is a FA cup tie against Basira Fc of Nasarawa at the lokoja township stadium And a league tie against Bayelsa United in yenegoa next weekend .
+ There are no comments
Add yours