NPFL: Yaya Kone The Saviour As Lobi Avoid Home Defeat
Lobi Stars came from behind to draw 1-1 with visiting Katsina United at the Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi, in one of Sunday’s rescheduled fixtures in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
Concise News reports that the CAF Champions League campaigners had to wait for 56 minutes before Kone’s penalty cancelled out Martins Usule’s 12th-minute volley for United.
Ezekiel Mbah, Kone and Samad Kadiri were guilty of failing to convert Lobi’s chances.
Katsina United had to count on the experience of Super Eagles goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa to hold on to their slim lead and ensure they go back home with a point.
On the other hand, Destiny Ashadi, Joshua Agboola and Usule held sway in attacking for the Katsina side.
Lobi Stars head coach, Solomon Ogbeide, attributes his side’s 1-1 draw against Katsina United to poor finishing.
Ogbeide, describing the contest as a good game, said his side paid for the missed chances.
He said: “It was a good game, as we did not lose. Thank God we did not lose the game, in football if you start to miss chances you will pay for it.
“Anxiety was the problem of my boys today, they were all anxious to score and they failed to calm down inside the goal area and we were lucky to have got a point from this match.
“There are no minnows in the league, and that we are playing on the continent does not mean we have more quality players than Katsina United. They have the likes of Ezenwa and Ashadi, they were well coordinated today and they got their point.
“We are playing in South Africa on Saturday and when we return, we will play our next league game here. So what happened today will not repeat itself as we are ready to pick our points to make a statement.
“I am not worried by our position on the league table as we have eight points from five matches. We will be at par with others when we play our outstanding matches. We will be contending for a place in the top.”
On his part, Abdullahi Biffo, Katsina United head coach, praised his players for picking their first point on the road this season.
Biffo said the result would serve as a tonic for his players to face Rivers United on Wednesday.
“It was a good result as it is our first point on the road. It will prepare us well ahead of the match against Rivers United on Wednesday. We are going to add more efforts to get a better result there,” he assured.
