Remo Stars secured their second straight win of the season in a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Warri Wolves in Abeokuta to move to the top of the Nigeria Premier Football League table.
A 76th minute goal by Samson Olasupo ended the Sky Blue Stars search for a first home win of the season, after being held 1-1 by Rivers United on the opening day.
From the onset, the home side showed intent. In the second minute, captain Olamilekan Adedayo registered the first attempt of the match with a firm strike which went straight into the hands of the Wolves’ goalkeeper Vincent Edafe.
Stanley Joseph then tested the visitors with a series of set-pieces.
The first clear opportunity came in the 20th minute when Abubakar Ibrahim picked out his man and namesake, Ibrahim Shuaibu, but it’s headed over the bar.
Moments later, Remo Stars’ Anakwe thought he had broken the deadlock in the 25th minute when he received a pass from Adedayo and attempted an audacious lob, only to see his effort rattle the crossbar.
That near miss summed up a frustrating first half for the hosts, and they almost got punished before the break when Sabitu Abiola had to make a vital stop in added time to deny a long-range Wolves effort.
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There was a high level of intensity from both sides heading into the second half. Remo’s Sodiq Oshidero had a golden chance three minutes in but failed to beat the goalkeeper. The introduction of substitutes Haruna Hadi and Samson Olasupo in the 54th minute proved decisive as both players injected fresh energy up front.
Hadi nearly scored with his very first involvement, finding himself in a two-on-one situation before the Edafe somehow clawed his shot away. Olasupo also went close in the 61st minute with a curling strike that was palmed aside.
The hosts finally got the goal worthy of their performance in the 76th minute. Hadi fires a low pass through to Olasupo, who makes no mistake as he slots it past the incoming goalkeeper, sending the home crowd into wild celebrations.
Wolves desperately sought to get the equaliser and came closest to levelling the scoreline just eight minutes later when a throw-in from Godwin Oham was flicked towards goal. However, Remo’s goalkeeper Joseph was quick to react as he produced a goal-line clearance to keep his side in front.
The win puts Remo Stars at the top of the table with seven points from 3 games, following their 2-1 away win in Aba against Kun Khalifat and the opening-day draw at home.
Remo Stars will return to action when they travel to Jos to face Plateau United on Sunday; meanwhile, Warri Wolves will look to bounce back when they host Kwara United on the same day.
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