Sporting Lagos FC are beaming with confidence after picking up a point in their first Nigeria Premier Football League away match against Akwa United at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Sunday.
The Noisy Lagosians’ resolute defending saw them share the spoils with the former champions in the keenly contested matchday 2 tie, which resulted in them in pole position on the log with four points.
A resonating 2-0 win over Gombe United on match day 1 at Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos, saw them embark on the trip to Uyo with their tails up and unsurprisingly returned unscathed.
Sporting Lagos once faced Akwa United before, coming from behind to secure victory in the maiden edition of the Naija Super 8 in July 2023, all thanks to goals by Jonathan and Okon.
Heading into Sunday’s match, their head coach, Abdul Isah, expected his charges to deliver the goods once again, stressing that football is the same whether played at home or away.
“Football is football. Thankfully, this isn’t our first NPFL game. We won last week, so the players know they can compete at this level. That’s a morale booster for us. We won’t be in front of our fans, but we know they’ll be cheering us on from Lagos. We will play for them,” he said.
In his post-match reaction, cited by the club’s official website earlier today, the youthful gaffer said, “It’s not a bad result. It was our first away game against a very good side, and we were able to keep them shut. It was a great experience for the team. We’ll keep working hard to not just draw but pick up maximum points on the road.”
He believes there will be no hiding place for Doma United when they face off in Sunday’s match day 3 tie at Mobolaji Johnson Arena, where the visitors’ city neighbours Gombe United tasted defeat on match day 1, 2-0 disadvantaged.
“We’re already mentally preparing for it. It’s a home game against Doma, and we know we need to take maximum points at home,” he told the club’s official website earlier today.
SOURCE: GLOBALSPORTS