The sports mistress at Itolo Girls Junior Secondary School in Surulere area of Lagos, Mrs Aduragbemi M. Oyebamiji scolded her students for losing three penalties during the 2026 Goals For Girls mini-football competition.
Sports247 reports that Itolo Girls looked good to lift the giant trophy at stake, after winning their first match at The Stable Sports Complex, Bode Thonas Road, Surulere, but they drew their next three games.
Though they won their first match 1-0 with a penalty kick, Itolo Girls failed to score from similar opportunities in their next two matches and eventually settled for six points apiece with Clegg Girls Junior High School based at Mobolaji Johnson Crescent, off Adeniran Ogunsanya Road, Surulere.
As both schools had played to a 0-0 draw when they clashed earlier on, they had to go into sudden death penalties after the last game to decide top spot in the competition that marked the climax for Day 2 of the maiden Goals For Girls Leadership Summit in Lagos.
Much to the dismay of Mrs Oyebamiji as well as one of the school’s former students, Shola Akeredolu, who is now a football coach and member of the organising committee, Itolo Girls again missed their kick, while Suliat Aribidesi scored to give Clegg Girls the trophy.
Akintan School, who earlier lost to Itolo Girls, won their last game 1-0 against Lagos Progressive College to end up third on the table and got bronze medals with a consolation trophy from the competition, whose features involved eight-a-side squads playing two simultaneous matches for only 10 minutes each.
Itolo Girls’ captain, Beatrice Emmanuel was in tears as she collected the runners-up cup and silver medals for her team, while Clegg Girls’ skipper, Patience Mbalaga and her sports mistress, Mrs Mariam Kasumu expressed delight after lifting high the glittering prestigious trophy at stake.
That marked a glorious end to the two-day Goals For Girls Leadership Summit, which had 150 students in attendance from five different schools on each day, making a total of 300 teenage girls from ten institutions in the Surulere axis.
The executive director of Goals For Girls, Damilola Ogunbote said it was a truly revealing and highly rewarding experience, while the project’s country manager in Nigeria, Chinasa Mandy Ukandu thanked all the schools and guests for turning up.
A cross-section of the students who spoke with Sports247 during the closing ceremony said they learnt a lot during class activities in leadership training, football skills development on the pitch and from playing in the mini-competition.
Day 2 results:
1. Clegg 0, Akintan 0
2. Progressive 0, Sari Iganmu 0
3. Itolo 1, Akintan 0
4. Clegg 0, Progressive 0
5. Progressive 0, Itolo 0
6. Sari Iganmu 0, Clegg 1
7. Clegg 0, Itolo 0
8. Akintan 0, Sari Iganmu 0
9. Itolo 0, Sari Iganmu 0
10. Progressive 0, Akintan 1
*Sudden Death Penalties: Itolo 0, Clegg 1
