2024/2025 NWFL Match Day 9: Saleh powers Heartland Queens to victory over Ekiti Queens

Posted : 27 March 2025

Heartland Queens secured a nail-biting 1-0 win against the hard-fighting visitors, Ekiti Queens, in Wednesday's NWFL Premiership Matchday 9 game at the main bowl of the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri, Imo State.

It was a debut goal for the Owerri mainstream's lanky central attacker, Blessing Saleh, in the 17th minute. She fought hard to beat the onrushing goalkeeper, Lucky Andy, with a grounder to give her side the match opener and eventual match-winner.

It was a cagey game with few chances for goals from both sides, but the Owerri Landladies showed intent and purpose early on, desperately searching for a goal and a win to improve their not-so-pleasant position in the eight-team group’s standings.

Saleh, who made her second appearance for the Owerri side as one of the new acquisitions during the mid-term transfer break, was a huge threat to the backlines of Omoluabi Ekiti. It wasn’t a difficult task for them to mark her as a key player.

Despite the tight policing, she was everywhere on the pitch, making herself available and visible for passes and looking to score. When the rare chance came, she wasted no time in taking it with both hands, delivering a grounder past the helpless goalkeeper, Lucky Andy.

Before the match opener, Ekiti Queens' midfielder, Oluchi Ofoegbu, who had just left the Owerri side at the end of the previous season, made life difficult for her former teammates, especially the Owerri side's captain, Chimebere Opara, Chinwendu Orji, Monica Matthew, Faith Samson, and the goal scorer, Saleh.

What would have been a second goal for Heartland Queens was chalked off by the center referee after the opposing goalkeeper mishandled the ball. A goal-line technology-powered league would have revalidated the disallowed goal for the home team.

Faith Samson, who was largely off-color on matchday, was substituted for the petite winger, Emmanuella James, to strengthen the desperate search for goals. However, the substitution did not yield the desired result, and the half ended with the Owerri mainstreams jealously guarding their hard-earned lead.

After the restart, the Owerri side allowed their opponents, the Baoress Babes, to get back into the game as they laid back dangerously. This nearly cost them as the goalkeeper, Uchenna Chukwu, made a few poor ball-handling errors. However, she made good saves to compensate for her earlier mistakes.

Chizoba Johnson replaced the goal scorer, Saleh, with the aim of curbing the opposition's dangerous attacks on the vital areas. Despite the efforts, the score remained 1-0 in favor of the home side. James came very close to scoring on a few occasions, but the visitors' substitute goalkeeper, Basirat Alatise, was alert and handled her duties well.

A golden opportunity to increase the goal margin in the six minutes of added time was wasted by the workaholic Monica Matthew, who shot lazily into the waiting hands of goalkeeper Alatise from the penalty spot. The game ended with the Owerri side securing the 1-0 victory, courtesy of Saleh’s 17th-minute goal.

The hard-earned win took the Owerri side's points tally to eight from a possible 27, providing a significant morale boost for their upcoming short road trip to face the champions and leaders, Edo Queens.

2024/2025 NWFL Match Day 9: Saleh powers Heartland Queens to victory over Ekiti Queens

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