Remo Stars produced a late comeback to beat El Kanemi Warriors 2–1 in Abeokuta on Monday, ending a run of five straight defeats in all competitions.
The champions had trailed for much of the second half after Jonas Emmanuel gave El Kanemi the lead in the 58th minute with a close-range header.
Despite dominating possession and creating several opportunities in the first half, the Sky Blue Stars were frustrated by the visitors’ defensive organisation and the goalkeeper’s sharp reflexes.
Victor Mbaoma went closest before the break, rattling the crossbar in added time, while Olamilekan Adedayo and Adama Goita were both denied from long range.
Remo continued to press after the interval, but it was the visitors who broke the deadlock when Emmanuel rose highest to nod in from a corner.
In the absence of head coach Daniel Ogunmodede who is on national duty with the Super Eagles in Morocco, his deputy Sulaimon Kamil responded with attacking substitutions, introducing Haruna Hadi and Samson Olasupo, who immediately injected pace into the final third.
The hosts’ persistence paid off in the closing stages when Mbaoma was fouled in the box and confidently converted the resulting penalty in the 87th minute.
With the scores level, Remo pushed forward in search of a winner. Their pressure was finally rewarded deep into stoppage time as goalkeeper’s parried clearance fell kindly to Michael Ibe, who drilled home a low strike in the 95th minute to seal a memorable turnaround for the champions.
The victory lifted Remo Stars out of the relegation zone to 16th place on 13 points, with two games in hand. It was their first league win in over a month, and they will hope to build on it when they host Enugu Rangers again in Abeokuta on Thursday.
In other fixtures, Rivers United edged Kun Khalifat 1–0 away, courtesy of Maclyn Biokpo’s 78th-minute strike.
The result moved Finidi George’s side into the top four on 20 points, three behind leaders Nasarawa United, with a game in hand.
At the New Jos Stadium, Plateau United continued their resurgence with a 1–0 victory over Bendel Insurance, thanks to Saka Gafar’s goal early in the second half.
The defeat extended Insurance’s winless run to seven matches, leaving them languishing in 19th place as pressure mounts on new coach Kennedy Boboye.
