Nasarawa United FC of Lafia and Plateau United of Jos will on Sunday rekindle their rivalry to ascertain the king of the round leather game in the North Central when they trade tackle in the final of the maiden edition of the Unity Preseason Tournament.
The two teams fought like trojans to book a ticket into the final of the epoch-making tournament that brought the best out of the 12 teams that participated in the week-long tournament.
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It took two heroic penalty saves by the goalkeeper, Ameh Godwin, to ensure that Nasarawa United earn a ticket into the final of the tournament.
After the regulation time, the game ended 1-1 in the nervy all-NPFL-Clubs semi-final clash at the Area 3 Football Pitch, Garki, Abuja.
The right full-back, Abubakar Abdullahi, scored an early goal (7th minute) for the Solid Miners but Nasiru Sani, drew Katsina United level in the 79th minute from the spot following a foul by Ekerete Udom in the area.
In the ensuing penalty shootout, Nasarawa United won 6-5, to book a place in the final.
In the second semi-final, Plateau United FC scored two goals in each half against Wikki Tourists to seal a final clash with neighbours, Nasarawa United.
Wikki Tourists scored a goal at the tail end of the encounter to put the final scores at 2-1.
Reacting to the outcome of the match, Nasarawa United Technical Adviser, Bala Nkiyu, who spoke through his Assistant Coach, Stephen Moga, expressed satisfaction in the outcome of the match, saying it was great.
“We feel great about today’s result, and so does the entire team.
“It’s a nervy game that required a penalty shootout to determine the eventual winners and we are glad we were the lucky side at the end of the day,” he said.
He rated the quality of the tournament as very high, adding that it met the expectations of all participating teams.
“Our aim is not just about winning the tourney but to use it as a preparatory ground to access our players ahead of the forthcoming NPFL Season.”
To Coach Muhammad Azeez of Katsina United, “The game of penalty shootout can go anywhere.
“We had a lot of chances but failed to utilize them.
“But I’m happy that the boys did well in the game and with the progress of my boys in the preseason, all we have to do now is to correct our mistakes before the NPFL season starts proper.
Coach Kabiru Dogo of WIkki Tourists FC attributed his team’s ouster from the tournament to fatigue.
