Ahmed Musa and his Kano Pillars teammates endured a tough outing in their Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) clash against Ikorodu City, suffering a 4-1 defeat at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena on Wednesday.
Despite playing behind closed doors, the home side delivered a dominant performance to secure all three points.
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The hosts wasted no time asserting their dominance, opening the scoring just three minutes into the game when Shola Adelani headed in a near-post corner from Salau Yusuf, marking his third goal in two consecutive matches.
Ikorodu City doubled their advantage in the 20th minute with a thunderous strike from Harrison Austin.
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The well-worked corner routine saw Yusuf claim his second assist of the match.
Kano Pillars pulled one back just before halftime when Abba Adam found the net with a fine header in the 44th minute, registering his third goal in two successive matches and his fourth of the season.
However, any hopes of a comeback were dashed in the second half. Ikorodu City extended their lead in the 54th minute after Harrison Austin’s direct corner was inadvertently turned in by Kano Pillars star Rabiu Ali for an own goal.
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Substitute Ayomide Cole sealed the emphatic victory in the 73rd minute with a powerful finish past the goalkeeper, while Salau Yusuf capped off his brilliant performance with his third assist of the match. Ikorodu City are now fifth on the log with 31 points from 21 games.
For Pillars, they have dropped to eighth position with 28 points from 20 matches.
Another five goal-thriller
Meanwhile, in another high-scoring encounter, Remo Stars staged an impressive comeback to defeat Abia Warriors 3-2 in Ikenne.
Abia Warriors took the lead in the 24th minute from a well-delivered corner and doubled their advantage just two minutes later.
Remo Stars, however, showed resilience, pulling one back in the 37th minute when Olamilekan Adedayo curled home a fine effort after being set up by Jabbar Malik.
They came close to equalizing just before halftime when Sikiru Alimi struck the woodwork.
The equaliser finally arrived in first-half stoppage time, with Jabbar Malik converting after the goalkeeper parried Alimi’s shot.
The turnaround was completed in the 54th minute when Franck Mawuena rose highest to head home a precise cross from Tochukwu Michael.
READ ALSO: NPFL: Kano Pillars secure crucial win over Enyimba
Remo Stars managed to hold on for the win, completing an impressive comeback and securing a crucial three points which has solidified their number position on the NPFL log. The Sky Blue Stars are on 42 points from 21 games.
Other results
Elsewhere in the NPFL, Akwa United and Lobi Stars played out a 1-1 draw, with Friday Apollos scoring in the 73rd minute to cancel out Onyekachi Okafor’s 28th-minute opener.
Bayelsa United cruised to a commanding 4-1 victory over Sunshine Stars, while El-Kanemi Warriors edged Rangers 2-1. In Ibadan, Shooting Stars secured a 2-0 victory over Nasarawa United.
Tijani Kabir got the opening goal in the 15th minute while Sadiq Ibrahim sealed all three points for 3SC with his 83rd-minute strike.
The Oluyole Warriors have momentarily moved up to second position six points adrift of Remo Stars.
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