A penalty kick awarded late in the game on Sunday helped hosts Kwara United Football Club of Ilorin to a 1-0 win over Katsina United.

The win was in a match day 18 encounter in the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), played at the Kwara Stadium Complex.

The hosts did dominate possession, especially in the first half, but they struggled and failed to convert their goal scoring chances.

Junior Aimufua and Issa Gatta posed occasional threats from the flanks but were unable to break the deadlock.

The first half saw Kwara United losing Akeem Akanni who was forced out of the game due to injury and was subsequently replaced by Sodeeq Yusuf before the break.

The second half saw relentless pressure from Kwara United in the search for a goal, but Katsina United employed delay tactics to disrupt the flow of the game.

However, substitute Ismail Gatta, who replaced Wasiu Alalade in the 53rd minute, became the hero in the 87th minute after confidently converting a penalty kick.

This was after a Katsina United defender was adjudged to have handled the ball in the penalty area, sparking wild celebrations from the home crowd.

Kwara United’s Head Coach, Tunde Sanni, later insisted that his side was still a work in progress even though he praised their resilience against a tough Katsina United.

“We are proud of the young players we are using. Modern football favours youthful energy over big names,” he said.

Sanni also assured the club’s fans that Akanni’s injury was minor and he should return to action soon in about one or two weeks.

Report says that Kwara United are now in 11th place on the log with 23 points, and an outstanding home game against Enyimba International of Aba.

They will face the Shooting Stars in Ibadan on Sunday in their final match day fixture in the first stanza of the league.(NAN)

Dominic Solanke’s brace helped Tottenham Hotspur edge a rip-roaring League Cup quarter-final game with Manchester United by a 4-3 win.

The win ensures that Tottenham are still in hunt of a first trophy since 2008.

Spurs were in cruise control when Solanke rifled home his second in the 54th minute to add to his first-half opener and Dejan Kulusevski’s effort 46 seconds into the second half.

Tottenham’s back-up goalkeeper Fraser Forster pressed the self-destruct button, though, as his two errors set up a nervy finale.

First Manchester United substitute Joshua Zirkzee tapped in after Forster’s pass out from the back had been intercepted before Amad Diallo blocked his clearance to make it 3-2 with 20 minutes left.

Ange Postecoglou’s men were teetering on the brink of collapse at this point, but captain Son Heung Min scored directly from a corner with two minutes left despite protestations from keeper Altay Bayindir.

It ensured Jonny Evans’ stoppage-time header was a mere consolation as Spurs march on towards the semi-finals.

The loss left Ruben Amorim to pick the bones out of the third defeat of his short tenure. (dpa/NAN)

Nasarawa United Football Club of Lafia on Saturday defeated Lobi Stars of Makurdi 1-0 in a pulsating North Central derby.

The matchday 16 fixture of the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premiere Football League (NPFL) was played at the Lafia Township Stadium, Nasarawa State capital.

The Makurdi side had adopted the Lafia Township Stadium as their home ground for the 2024/2025 NPFL season.

The only goal of the match was scored by Qamar Adegoke in the 12th minute of  the match to give all three points to the Lafia side.

Adegoke’s goal, who joined the Lafia team recently, was his second in four matches.

The Nasarawa attacker capitalised on a defensive error by the opponent’s backline and hit the back of the net to give Nasarawa United the advantage.

In a post-match interview, Kabir Dogo, Technical Adviser of Nasarawa United, hailed his players for taking all three points.

He explained that his team had improved by scoring five goals in their last three matches and expressed optimism that they would do better in subsequent games.

“We had a problem in the area of goal scoring in the past, but this has changed in our last three games,” he said.

With the win, Nasarawa United climbed to 14th on the NPFL table, while Lobi Stars remain on 17th position. (NAN)