Abia Warriors Football Club of Umuahia suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan in a Matchday 9 fixture of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), played at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan.

 

Goals in each half from Ayobami Junior and Adegoke Qamar sealed victory for the home side, condemning the Warriors to their fourth loss of the season.

 

It was a tale of two halves, with Shooting Stars dominating the first period and Abia Warriors coming out stronger in the second. However, the visitors failed to convert their chances, leaving them empty-handed.

 

Abia Warriors head coach, Imama Amapakabo, made two changes to the squad that beat El-Kanemi Warriors in their last outing. Ikenna Oguh earned his first start of the season in place of Obioma Chukwuemeka, while Innocent Godwin was preferred to Maxwell Kangeshima.

 

The hosts looked more threatening early on, and their breakthrough came shortly after an 18th-minute injury to Abia Warriors’ key defender, Emmanuel Ogbuagu, who signaled for a substitution due to a hamstring issue.

 

Capitalizing on the defensive reshuffle, 3SC took the lead in the 20th minute following a chaotic goalmouth scramble. Ayobami Junior pounced on the loose ball to fire home the opener.

 

Shooting Stars remained dominant for the rest of the first half, but the second period saw Abia Warriors push back with urgency. The introduction of Obioma Chukwuemeka added firepower, and the visitors came close to equalizing in the 58th minute when Casmir’s strike was pushed to safety by the 3SC goalkeeper.

 

Two minutes later, Suraj weaved his way into the box but curled his shot narrowly wide as the Warriors searched desperately for an equalizer.

 

Their missed chances came back to haunt them late in the game. In the 86th minute, a costly slip by centre-back Somiari Alalibo allowed Ayodele Ismail to race into the box and square the ball to an unmarked Adegoke Qamar, who tapped in to double the hosts’ lead and put the game beyond reach.

 

Abia Warriors will look to bounce back when they host Barau Football Club of Kano at the Umuahia Township Stadium on October 26, 2025.