Kwara United Football Club of Ilorin began their new home season in the Nigeria Professional Football League on Sunday with a 2-0 victory over El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri at the Ondo State Sports Complex in Akure (NPFL).
Kwara United were forced to find a new home after the NPFL deemed the Kwara State Sports Complex in Ilorin unsuitable. They played the first round of the 2022/2023 NPFL season at Ibadan’s Lekan Salami Stadium before moving to Akure for the second round.
The first half of this Group A Match Day 10 match ended goalless. However, Anthony Omaka scored the game’s first goal in the 78th minute during a goalmouth scramble, before Samad Kadiri secured the win in the 89th minutes.
Following the game, Kwara United Head Coach Kabir Dogo thanked Akure football fans for their solidarity and support. He praised his players for their perseverance throughout the game, despite the fact that the league competition was abridged.
His El-Kanemi Warriors counterpart, Hamza Abara, admitted that his team was surprised by the outcome of the match.
However, Abara attributed their defeat to fatigue caused by the long distance between Maiduguri and Akure, which caused them to arrive late on Saturday and prevent them from having a proper training session before the game.
