Captain Junior Nduka came up with a huge stoppage-time winner for Remo Stars on Saturday as the Sky Blue Stars beat former champions Kano Pillars 2-1 in Ikenne on match-day 34 of the Nigeria Premier Football League to keep their title hopes alive, PRIMANEWS Sports Extra reports.
The nervy encounter looked set for a potentially damaging stalemate for Remo Stars, but Nduka benefited from a goalkeeping error by Kano Pillars keeper Muhammad Galadima and sent the home fans into frenzy for their first win over Kano Pillars in the NPFL.
The win took Remo to 59 points and one point adrift of Rangers, who play Sporting Lagos today at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena.
Young defender Ahmed Akinyele, who scored an own goal in their 3-2 defeat to Kwara United last week, atoned for the mishap with the opening goal of the encounter inside six minutes, heading home a flick on by Nduka off a perfectly weighted freekick from Habib Yakub.
NPFL leading scorer Sikiru Alimi failed to double the home team’s advantage in the first half, and they were duly punished immediately after the restart when Mustapha Salisu levelled matters for Pillars.
Coach Daniel Ogunmodede began to ring the changes in search of a winning goal for Remo, but Pillars keeper Galadima was equal to everything thrown at him in the second half.
He was, however, beaten in the closing stages after he misjudged a cross into his area, which allowed Nduka on the far post to bury the winner for Remo.
In another match-day 34 game decided on Saturday, Doma United moved three points above the relegation zone after beating Lobi Stars 1-0 in Gombe, thanks to a 27th-minute goal by Musa Usman.
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