Messiah Football Club of Ikeja defeated Collins Edwin Football Club 2-1 in the round of 32 of the ongoing Lagos State Challenge Cup.
The encounter which was held at the Maracana stadium, Ajegunle saw Messiah triumph over their opponents in a match watched by a mammoth crowd.
Both teams gave a good account of themselves as Taiwo Quadri opened the goal-scoring for Messiah in the 26th minute.
The pulsating encounter lived up to expectations as both teams created more scoring chances time before the referee signaled for half-time.
The second half was tougher as the two teams increased the tempo of the game.
Kudus Lookman quickly equalized for Collins Edwin to bring them back on track.
The equalizer spurred Messiah to increase the intensity of the game. Samuel Sulaiman’s effort was rewarded in the 78th minute when he netted the winning goal for Messiah to book them a place in the round of 16.
Reacting to the victory, Messiah coach, Solomon Leke expressed gratitude to God for the victory and commended his players for their determination and fighting spirits exhibited throughout the encounter.
“It was a tough match for us. Both teams played purposeful football but I must commend my players for their commitment and tactical discipline shown on the field of play,” he said.
Collins Edwin coach, Adebayo Shokunbi said it was unfortunate that his team lost in the round of 32 and noted that Messiah was lucky to have won the game.
“I am not happy about the outcome of the result because our opponents were not too fantastic. We lost the game because some of the players did not play to the coach’s instructions. I wish Messiah all the best in their next game,” he said.
Meanwhile, in other results, Sporting FC also defeated Joy Cometh 2-0, Ikorodu City FC walloped North York FC 4-1, G12 FC battered Nath Boys 5-0, Dosu Joseph FC beat Ramond Remmy 3-2, while Utility Sports also defeated Billionaire FA 4-3.
In other results, Synergy Ultimate Sports lost 2-3 to Admiralty FC, Badagry United FC defeated Magic Stars 9-8 on penalties after one goal apiece in the regulation time and Gbagada FC suffered 0-1 to Smart City Feeders FC.
