2023/2024 NPFL Match Day 38: Kwara United FC celebrates season end with victory

Posted : 24 June 2024

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Kwara United Football Club defeated the hard-fighting Heartland International FC 4-0 in the last match of the 2023/2024 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season.

The match, which took place at the Main Bowl of the State Stadium Complex, helped the Afonja Warriors end the season on a high note.

The victory was heavily celebrated, not only because it secured the team's Premier League status, but also due to the presence of Nottingham Forest star Taiwo Awoniyi. Awoniyi, who was celebrated by fans and supporters at the stadium, had pledged to reward each goal scored by Kwara United Football Club with half a million naira ahead of the crucial encounter, which the club won by four goals to nil.

Wasiu Alalade opened the scoring as early as the fourth minute, benefiting from a well-delivered cross by the captain of the day, Afeez Musa. Emmanuel Ogbole added the second goal in the 24th minute, with Heartland FC struggling to recover from their poor performance in the game.

In the second half, Kwara United replaced Dehinde Ibrahim with Garba Abubakar, and Garba contributed to the effort by assisting Alao Mohammed in scoring the third goal.

Shola Abdulraheem and Abbey Benson were substituted for Emmanuel Ogbole and Rahman Olarewaju respectively, and later, Omaka Anthony and Oshagbemi Godwin came on for Alao Muhammed and Issa Gata, as the hosts intensified their search for more goals.

Oshagbemi justified his introduction by scoring a masterclass goal in the 89th minute, earning Taiwo Awoniyi's promised reward of 2 million naira.

Heartland FC's coach, Christian Obi, who stated that his efforts were hindered during the season due to allegations of bribery, mentioned that his future with the team would be decided by the team's owners now that the season has ended.

He added that the result of the match made no difference because even if his team had won, they would still have been relegated.

Coach Kabir Sulaiman Dogo credited Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the people of Kwara State for the club's sustainability in the NPFL. While describing the victory as a triumph for Kwarans, he acknowledged the challenges faced over the past two seasons and emphasized the importance of learning from those challenges moving forward.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Kwara United Football Club, Kumbi Titiloye, announced that preparations for the next NPFL season would commence immediately, emphasizing the lessons learned from the just-concluded season.

He noted that the team started preparations relatively late this season and highlighted the players' adjustment to playing on natural grass pitches, as they are accustomed to synthetic pitches. He also mentioned that the current economic realities had affected the team in the just-concluded season.

2023/2024 NPFL Match Day 38: Kwara United FC celebrates season end with victory

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