There was a huge sense of relief at the Onikan stadium after home team, Sporting Lagos yesterday finally snapped a 7-game winless run to defeat Rivers United 1-0 in a rescheduled Match Day 13 fixture of the 2023/23 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
The hosts last victory was in December 2023 against Katsina United and had failed to win a game after that as they moved in to the relegation zone afterwards.
With the determination to earn all three points against a formidable side as Rivers United, Sporting Lagos left no stone untouched as they took the game to the 2021/22 champions.
In the 23rd minute, Jonathan Alukwu who had been a thorn in the flesh latched onto a through ball, then played a cheeky back heel into Paschal Durugbor, whose powerful shot was tipped onto the crossbar by the visiting goalkeeper.
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The duo were at hand again few minutes as they made efforts to open the scoring. That however didn’t happen as the first half ended goalless.
Upon resumption of the second half, the hosts turned on more heat on their hapless visitors and were duly rewarded in the 52nd minute with a well-placed goal.
Clement Naantuam stole the ball from a Rivers United player, drove towards the byline and found the perfect finish to lead 1-0.
Not satisfied with the lead as they bided to ensure all three points were secured, the hosts continued creating more chances to score more goals but were unable to increase their lead as the game ended with the same scoreline.
With this hard-fought victory, Sporting Lagos have moved away from the relegation zone to move to 15th spot with 21 points while Rivers United remain 12th with 24 points.
