Sunshine Stars Football Club of Akure on Sunday defeated visiting Abia Warriors of Umuahia 1-0 in a Match Day 23 fixture of the Nigeria Professional Football League.
The match, played at the Ondo State Sports Complex in Akure, saw Sunshine Stars’ forward Fuad Ekelojuoti scoring the lone goal in the 50th minute of the encounter.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Sunshine Stars wasted several scoring chances in the match’s first half.
Sunshine Stars’ Technical Adviser, Kabir Dogo, later said he was happy that his team had got back to winning ways.
Dogo, who hailed the improvement in the visiting team since their meeting in the league’s first stanza, said his team’s dream of playing on the continent next season was still on.
He said: “This is what we have been struggling to get since all these days.
“Thank God we achieved it today with hard work from the players, fans and everybody.
“I dedicate the victory to all the good people of the state.
“There is a lot of improvement from Abia Warriors compared to what I saw in the first stanza of the season.
“Any team battling relegation is always difficult to play.
“Our continental target is still on course.
“With the contribution of everybody, we can still achieve it if all the necessities are put in place.”
On his part, the Acting Technical Manager of Abia Warriors, Wilfred Udube, said it was a good match for both sides.
Udube said he was satisfied with the match’s first half and was not happy with the second half performance of his team.
He said: “It was a good match but we lost.
“The first half was okay but the second half was nothing to write home about.”
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
