Sporting Lagos head coach Jeff Buter has expressed his disappointment after his side settled for a 1-1 draw against Barau FC in the EuroMatch Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Matchday 6 encounter at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos.
Sports247 reports that the home side had to come from behind to secure a point after Barau FC took the lead in the first half, with Buter insisting that Sporting Lagos created enough opportunities to claim all three points.
“Yeah, disappointing. We deserve more than a draw, we should have won the game,” Buter said after the match.
The visitors broke the deadlock in the 35th minute after Barau FC were awarded a penalty. Joseph Atule stepped up and confidently converted from the spot to give the league leaders a 1-0 advantage.
Sporting Lagos responded after the interval and eventually found their equaliser through Sodiq Ayoade in the 61st minute, restoring parity and ensuring the points were shared.
Despite the result, Buter questioned some of the officiating during the encounter, suggesting that better decisions could have influenced the final outcome.
“On another day, if the officiating is better enough, we might have got the maximum points,” he added.
The Sporting Lagos coach also identified his team’s inability to convert chances early in matches as an area that needs improvement.
“We create chances but we don’t score early enough and that has cost us,” Buter explained.
The result extended Sporting Lagos’ competitive run as the club continues to navigate a demanding NPFL schedule.
With fixtures coming in quick succession, Buter acknowledged that fatigue can become a factor but played down suggestions that the congested schedule was significantly affecting his players.
“Back-to-back schedule is not necessarily affecting the team, games after games. Sure, fatigue comes, we just have to rest and keep fighting,” he said.
For Barau FC, the draw represented another valuable away point as the league leaders maintained their positive start to the campaign.
Sporting Lagos, meanwhile, will take encouragement from their second-half response but will know that improving their finishing and converting chances earlier could prove crucial as the NPFL season progresses.
