Goals from 15-year-old Olubode Hassan were all Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan needed to defeat Remo United in the second game of Group C on the first day of the maiden edition of the Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL U-15 Promises tournament.
The young star scored the first of his three goals late in the first half in the tough encounter, following up with a brace in the second half, to complete the first hat trick of the championship.
An elated Shooting Stars coach, Monday Ozeibe was quick to rate his boys as favourites to win the group.
Ozeibe said; “I wasn’t impressed with the first half performance of my boys but we got a late goal in the first half which was the tonic for us. The boys have done better during pre-season matches. The victory has placed us as the favourites to win the group and I believe we are capable of finishing top of the group.”
Remo Stars, MFM FC, Shooting Stars, ABS FC and Sunshine Stars made up Group C of the Group stages of the tournament in Osun State at the end of which two clubs will qualify for the quarter-final stage.
In the first match, ABS had defeated MFM with a goal from Okoromi David, MFM defence collapsed under sustained pressure from ABS on the 7th minute when David picked the final pass and beat his marker before he chipped the ball over MFM goalkeeper, Oladunni Habeeb.
MFM had got better chances in the early minutes of the game. Hammed Saheed’s free kick went inches wide on the third minute and two minutes later Atoyebi Gideon shot directly at ABS goalkeeper, Kolawole Sheriff.
The team head coach, Isiekwene Christian would later admit that his lads learnt their lessons the hard way.
“We conceded early in the game but we were able to create some good moments and shake off the goal. We could have got something positive from the game but we have learnt a hard lessons that would guide us better in the tournament,” said Christian to Npfl.ng after the game.
