League

RIVERS-UNITED Park
Spectators: 5000 (Terracing: 4000, Seating: 1000, VIP seats: 0) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. Mezie Roro started the match with the kick off. Manga Lartey took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Bamidele Monday Edozien, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. After 5 minutes, Chiazagomekpele Aiyetan mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the Derby AFC and the RIVERS UNITED players grew even worse after the yellow card. After 6 minutes of play, the referee blew the whistle. It was a penalty for Derby AFC! RIVERS UNITED's Dike Balogun played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Mezie Roro in the 12th minute of play. In the 15th match minute, Derby AFC was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Timothy Agu to maneuver through the defense. After a defensive mix-up in Derby AFC's zone, Madukaego Madumere stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Manga Lartey came out of the goal and Madukaego Madumere tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. Shola Achebo sent away a hard shot on goal in the 19th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Moses Kallamu charged in rather forcefully in the 20th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Moses Kallamu the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. In the 22nd minute, Shola Achebo ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Dike Balogun was frozen by the shot and now it was 1-1. In the 26th match minute, Derby AFC was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Shola Achebo to maneuver through the defense. After some fancy dribbling in the 31st minute, Shola Achebo managed to get in a good position for a shot. Derby AFC's supporters rose to their feet, but Shola Achebo was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Dike Balogun breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. RIVERS UNITED's Dike Balogun played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Shola Achebo in the 34th minute of play. Ajayi Olumuyiwa Aganun sent away a hard shot on goal in the 35th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Itimi Hananias sent away a hard shot on goal in the 43rd minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Jacob Nalaya kicked well hit freekick during the 44th minute of the match. Dike Balogun showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Mezie Roro, who was totally free with the ball in the 46th minute. Manga Lartey showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Bamidele Monday Edozien, who was totally free with the ball in the 48th minute. After fighting hard for a draw in the first half, the players were able to take a much needed rest.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Madukaego Madumere to make the kick off. Timothy Agu kicked well hit freekick during the 51st minute of the match. Derby AFC's Manga Lartey played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Bamidele Monday Edozien in the 52nd minute of play. Ajayi Olumuyiwa Aganun fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 54th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Manga Lartey having to interfere. If Madukaego Madumere had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 57th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Bamidele Monday Edozien sent away a hard shot on goal in the 60th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. When Jacob Nalaya came up free with the goalie in the 63rd minute, the RIVERS UNITED fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Jacob Nalaya couldn't finish the play. Manga Lartey made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Ajayi Olumuyiwa Aganun in the 66th minute of play. Through an outstanding action, after 69 minutes, Dike Balogun successfully got his hands on the ball before it slid into the goal at the right post. In the 75th minute Mezie Roro shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Dike Balogun saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. 80 minutes into the game, RIVERS UNITED's Jacob Nalaya nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Manga Lartey made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 2-1. In the 83rd minute, Ajayi Olumuyiwa Aganun left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The RIVERS UNITED fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 3-1. RIVERS UNITED's Dike Balogun played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Mezie Roro in the 90th minute of play. An unexpectedly hard shot by Madukaego Madumere in the 95th minute of play forced Derby AFC's goalkeeper Manga Lartey to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. If Jacob Nalaya had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 96th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. The crowd rose to their feet and cheered when the referee blew the final whistle. RIVERS UNITED had won after a very even match.