We returned to winning ways with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Calabar Rovers at Onikan Stadium. A late strike from Academy product Seun Akanji was enough to secure all three points in our first fixture of the second half of the NNL campaign, moving us up to fourth in the table.
Team News
Goalkeeper: 1 - Clinton
Defence: 36 - Odinaka Okoro, 14 - Abraham Idakwo, 5 - Aliu Salawudeen, 2 - Solomon Uloko
Midfield: 37 - Victor Samuel, 4 - Sodiq Oshidero, 8 - Abdulraheem Suleiman
Attack: 24 - Seun Akanji, 11 - Abdullahi Usman, 23 - Alabi Lasisi
The match saw several debuts, with Gavi Thompson, Tunde Akomolade, Peter Orshi, and Aliyu Baba all making their first appearances from the bench. Tunde, a fan favorite from his time in the Academy, brought his signature long throws to the senior squad.
Controlling the Game
From the opening whistle, Sporting Lagos asserted dominance. Multiple chances fell to Toheeb, Abdullahi, and Victor in the first half as we pinned Rovers back in their own half. Abdulraheem Suleiman was simply unplayable in midfield, winning duels, creating chances, and showcasing his skill with flair moves throughout the match.
Despite our pressure, the breakthrough proved elusive. A particularly golden opportunity came when Abraham drove forward from defense before slipping a through pass to Odinaka, whose cut-back found Abdullahi one-on-one with the goalkeeper—only for his shot to drift wide.
Second Half Push
The pattern continued after the break, with Sporting Lagos pushing for the opener. A moment of brilliance from Oshidero saw him play a perfectly weighted pass over the top to substitute Kelvin Unenge, who was desperately unlucky to see his effort come back off the post with the goalkeeper beaten.
The introduction of Kelvin and Tunde brought fresh energy to our attack. Kelvin immediately injected attacking enthusiasm, driving forward and delivering dangerous crosses, while Tunde's long throws created unexpected scoring opportunities that kept the Rovers' defense under constant pressure.
Late Drama Secures the Points
After a series of near misses, our persistence finally paid off in the 89th minute. A long ball over the top found Gavi Thompson in behind the Rovers backline. Showing remarkable composure on his debut, Gavi drew the keeper before unselfishly squaring to Seun Akanji. With a defender rushing back to block, Seun calmly slotted home to send Onikan Stadium into celebration.
There was still time for late drama as a misplaced pass led to a rare Rovers counterattack. Clinton rushed out bravely to narrow the angle, doing just enough to force the shot wide and preserve our clean sheet.
Solid at the Back
Abraham Idakwo put in a commanding defensive performance, winning virtually all his duels, driving forward well with the ball, and consistently looking to play penetrative passes. The entire backline stood firm when called upon, limiting Rovers to just a speculative free-kick that never troubled Clinton in goal.
Afterwards, Coach said:
"We'll shake it off and come back stronger", when asked about the team's frustrating finishing throughout the match. Despite creating numerous chances, the breakthrough didn't come until the dying minutes.
Fun Facts
Debut success:
Four players made their Sporting Lagos debuts, with Gavi Thompson making an immediate impact with an assist.
Fan favorite returns:
Tunde Akomolade brought his signature long throws to the senior team after impressing during his loan spell with the Academy.
Table climbers:
This victory propels Sporting Lagos to fourth place in the NNL table.
What's Next?
With this crucial win under our belts, we now sit six points behind second-placed Osun United, who we face this weekend. The promotion push continues as we look to build momentum in the second half of the season.
