Pre-Season: Ikorodu City, Smart City clash in final of EIC

Curtain falls on the pre-season football tournament, Eko International Cup on Sunday as Ikorodu City tackle Smart City at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos.

The two sides finished with six  and four points respectively in groups A and B to earn a slot in the final.

Smart City defeated 36 Lions 3-1 in the first Group B match and also shocked Remo Stars 1-0 in the second match to earn a berth while Ikorodu City played a 2-2 draw with Shooting Stars in the first match and also earned three points walkover victory over Rivers United on Friday after the Garden City team abandoned the encounter following a second red card issued to one of their players.

For the Third Place match billed to take place before the final, it will be the battle of the heavyweights in the Nigeria Professional Football League as Remo Stars clash with Rivers United.

The  third place match was anticipated to be the final because the two teams finished first and second respectively in the just concluded NPFL season.

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Media Officer of Rivers United, Charles Mayuoku, told our correspondent on Saturday that the EIC was a preparatory event for the team.

 “We have put the incident of our last match behind us and we are focused on the objective of participation, which is to evaluate the players and further prepare well for the new season and continental engagements ahead of us.

 “Remo Stars will be a good test for the team and we are ready for the challenge. It will be interesting and we are looking at how the players will respond to the situation,” Mayuoku said.

 The Executive Director, Publicity and Strategy for the Local Organizing Committee of the EIC, Onome Obruthe, said the final day of the tournament promises to be highly explosive.

 “On top flight team, Ikorodu City will be competing in the final while the best two teams in the domestic league will vie for honours in the Third Place. That is football and we are happy with the level of competition overall,” Obruthe noted.