Remo Stars finally gave their home supporters something to cheer about on Sunday as they grabbed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Warri Wolves in Abeokuta to move to the top of the Nigeria Premier Football League table.
A 76th minute goal by Samson Olasupo ended the Sky Blue Stars search for a first home win of the season, after being held 1-1 by Rivers United on the opening day, and it propelled them to the summit of the NPFL table after three rounds of matches.
In the absence of head coach Daniel Ogunmodede, who is currently on national duty with the Super Eagles, his assistant Sulaimon Folarin stepped up and delivered the much-needed victory that preserved Remo’s unbeaten run.
From the onset, the home side showed intent. In the second minute, captain Olamilekan Adedayo registered the first attempt of the match with a firm strike that went straight into the gloves of the Wolves’ goalkeeper Vincent Edafe.
Stanley Joseph then tested the visitors with a series of set-pieces, while the lively Alex Oyowah and Samuel Anakwe caused problems with their pressing runs.
The first clear opportunity came in the 20th minute when Oyowah worked hard to prevent a ball from going out of play, looping it back into Abubakar Ibrahim’s path.
Ibrahim picked out his namesake, Ibrahim Shuaibu, who could only head over the bar. Moments later, Anakwe and Chilekwu Chigozie both went close in quick succession, but their efforts also drifted wide.
Anakwe thought he had broken the deadlock in the 25th minute when he received a pass from Adedayo and attempted an audacious lob, only to see his effort rattle the crossbar.
That near miss summed up a frustrating first half for the hosts, and they almost got punished before the break when Sabitu Abiola had to make a vital stop in added time to deny a long-range Wolves effort.
After the restart, Remo turned up the intensity. Sodiq Oshidero had a golden chance three minutes in but failed to beat the goalkeeper. The introduction of substitutes Haruna Hadi and Samson Olasupo in the 54th minute proved decisive as both players injected energy and creativity into the final third.
Hadi nearly scored with his very first involvement, finding himself in a two-on-one situation before the Edafe somehow clawed his shot away. Olasupo also went close in the 61st minute with a curling strike that was palmed aside.
The breakthrough eventually came in the 76th minute. A clever pocket pass from Hadi released Olasupo, who showed composure to slot past the goalkeeper and send the home crowd, including club owner Kunle Soname, into wild celebrations.
Wolves threw everything forward in search of an equaliser, and they almost levelled eight minutes later when a long throw from Godwin Oham was flicked towards goal. However, Joseph produced a goal-line clearance to preserve Remo’s slender lead.
The visitors had one last attempt through Ohanu Justus in stoppage time, but his long-range strike was comfortably gathered by Abiola.
The final whistle sparked relief and joy for Remo Stars, who now sit top of the table with seven points from three matches, following their 2-1 away win in Aba against Kun Khalifat and the opening-day draw at home.
For Warri Wolves, it was their first setback of the campaign after consecutive victories over Rangers International and Katsina United. The defeat saw them slip from second to fourth on the log behind Wikki Tourist and Bayelsa United.
Remo Stars will next travel to Jos for a tricky tie against Plateau United as they continue their title defence, while Warri Wolves will look to bounce back when they host Kwara United in their makeshift Ozoro home.
