We fell to a narrow 1–0 defeat against Remo Stars in a tightly contested Southwest derby, with the decisive moment coming early in the second half in Ikenne.
We started positively and created an early opportunity in the 2nd minute, when Lucky Emmanuel saw his effort blocked for a corner. Shortly after, in the 6th minute, Godgift required medical attention but was able to continue.
Our pressure continued, and in the 11th minute, Sodiq Ibrahim picked out Lucky Emmanuel, but his effort was straight at the goalkeeper. Two minutes later, Godgift produced a fine save to keep the scores level.
The hosts pushed forward, but Godgift remained alert, making another important save in the 25th minute. We also threatened through Sodiq Ibrahim in the 27th minute, but his effort went straight to the goalkeeper.
The game remained competitive, with Justice Apaingolo shown a yellow card in the 35th minute. Despite both sides searching for a breakthrough, the first half ended goalless after three minutes of added time.
The second half resumed with renewed intensity, but it was the hosts who found the breakthrough in the 48th minute to take a 1–0 lead.
We responded with changes in the 52nd minute, introducing Qamar Adegoke and Adelowo Gbolagade for Sodiq Ibrahim and Justice Apaingolo.
We pushed forward in search of an equaliser. In the 62nd minute, Lucky Emmanuel tried his luck, but his effort missed the target.
Four minutes later, Gbolagade Adelowo found Qamar Adegoke, who finished into the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Another opportunity followed in the 70th minute when Ayodele Ismail found the back of the net, but once again the flag was raised for offside.
Further changes came in the 73rd minute, with Adams Mustapha introduced. We continued to press and earned a free kick in a dangerous area in the 83rd minute, but the effort struck the wall.
In the closing stages, Alade Balogun was introduced in the 89th minute. Five minutes of added time were indicated as we pushed forward in search of a late equaliser.
Alade Balogun came close in 90+1 minutes with a header that missed the target, while Tijani Kabir also tried his luck in 90+3 minutes, but his effort went wide.
Despite our late pressure, the referee blew the final whistle in 90+6 minutes, confirming a narrow defeat.
It was a closely fought Southwest derby, and while we showed resilience and created several chances, including two disallowed goals, we were unable to find the breakthrough.
We will now regroup and focus on bouncing back as the NPFL campaign continues.
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