2025 NWFL Match Day 2: Heartland Queens seek NWFL Premiership redemption against Edo Queens

Posted : 21 January 2025

Predictably, a fierce clash looms in the 2024/2025 Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Premiership Match Day 2 tie between the well-known football rivals, Heartland Queens and champions, Edo Queens, on Wednesday, January 22, at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri, Imo state.

In the NWFL Premiership Matchday 1 openers across the country, the Owerri-based side fell to the two-season campaigners, Ekiti Queens, in Ado Ekiti, with a 74th-minute goal from Olaleye Odunayo. Meanwhile, the reigning champions and Africa's fourth-best team, Edo Queens, were ruthless as they defeated visitors Abia Angels 5-0 in the ancient city of Benin.

The two sides are familiar foes, having met many times in both competitive and non-competitive games. The most recent encounter was the 2024 losers' match of the yearly preseason showpiece, the Betsy Obaseki Women Football Tournament (BOWFT), where the Benin City side has had a measured superiority in all their meetings with the Owerri team.

However, on Wednesday, January 22, at the main bowl of the Owerri landladies' home ground, it’s likely to be a different game altogether. To say the egos of the Owerri side were bruised by the two-season veterans in Ado Ekiti is an understatement, and the team’s redemption songs are being sung by all Heartlanders in the streets of Owerri.

The Owerri side’s coach, Obi Ogbala, a man of few words, who celebrated his birthday on Saturday, January 17, has put aside the celebrations to focus on the epic clash. It’s likely he will line up the same squad that narrowly lost in Ado Ekiti, with minimal changes, aiming to secure their first league points on home soil.

The common goal among the players is a strong resolve to win the game convincingly as a deserving and fitting birthday gift for their well-respected coach. For the playing staff, it’s irrelevant who gets the nod, as they are all committed to delivering the goods on match day.

With all 16 top-flight teams vying for the regular season’s top prizes – the Super Six tickets – and the Owerri side making their debut last season in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, they are determined to take a step higher. They know that their lofty dreams will be shaky unless they start picking up all available points immediately.

The Owerri side is enjoying two straight home games, and after the clash with the visitors from Benin City, they will face an oriental derby against next-door neighbors, Abia Angels.

2025 NWFL Match Day 2: Heartland Queens seek NWFL Premiership redemption against Edo Queens

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