Kwara United shoot down Remo Stars to secure first league win

Kwara United on Sunday defeated league table topper Remo Stars 1-0 in the NPFL matchday five game to secure their first league win of the current NPFL season.

Shola Abdulraheem’s 56th minute solo effort was all the Harmony Boys needed to edge the hard-fighting Ikenne-based side, who have won all their last four games.

Kwara United, yet to secure a win in the league after three games, got off strongly in the game, with the trio of Wasiu Alalade, Akanni Akeem, and Junior Aimufa forcing the visitors to a cautious approach in their defence.

United were presented with the best of their chance in the 39th minute, but a poor finish from Akanni Akeem robbed them of taking the lead.

Earlier, goalkeeper Nurudeen Badmus came to the rescue for the homeside when a lack of communication between him and defender Saheed Olaniyi caused a scare in their backside.

Coming into the second half, the Harmony boys were bolstered with their impressive performance in the first half and came full stop against the league leaders.

The visitors were reduced to 10 men when Sani Faisal, a former player of Kwara United, was sent off by the centre referee for a rash challenge on Junior Aimufa.

The numerical disadvantage immediately handed the hosts an advantage, and it was Shola Abdulraheem’s curler that home will break the deadlock for the Ilorin-based side.

Remo Stars would also increase their surge forward but were met with great resistance from the Harmony Boys.

Another major highlight of the game was when Saheed Olaniyi of Kwara United went unconscious after heading off a free kick. The stadium stood still as the medical team rushed down to the pitch to revive him back to normalcy.

Both teams later introduce new legs to change the dimension of the game, and it consequently grew more intense.

While Kwara United defended their lead against an apparent hard-fighting Sky Blue Stars, who were pushing for an equaliser, The visitors would also have their goalkeeper thanked for denying the hosts more goals in the twilight of the game, having made important saves.

For Kwara United, the victory further ignited the momentum that had been gathered from their last 1-1 draw against Bayelsa United in the matchday four, earning them a lift to 13th on the log as they travel to meet Abia Warriors in the matchday six.

The defeat means Remo Stars had their unbeaten streak halted, eventually losing the top seat to Rivers United, who now have 13 points against their own 12.