Akwa United produced a scintillating performance on Matchday 9 to record their second win of the season beating Remo Stars 3-2 at the Eket Stadium.
The Promise Keepers went into the game on the back of one win in eight games and were in desperate need of a turn-around but they were behind after fifteen minutes of play when Sikiru Alimi put Remo Stars ahead.
Akwa United fought back and responded nicely with a goal in the 23rd minute through Dare Ojo who headed Bala Akintunde’s delivery from a corner beyond goalkeeper Charles Tambe in the visitors’ goal.
Three minutes later, Uche Collins put the Promise Keepers in the lead when he fired a great strike from outside the box into the net as coach Fatai Osho’s team headed into the half-time break with a deserved lead.
Coach Osho made some tactical switches at the start of the second half and introduced Ubong Essien and Rilwan Sadiq in place of Dare Ojo and Salomon Chigoziem in the midfield.
The substitution paid off almost immediately as the home side increased their advantage in the 62nd minute when Bala Akintunde received a good pass on the right and sent a right-footed cross into the box, Rilwan Sadiq was at the right place and at the right time to volley the ball home from close range.
The visitors staged a late fight back and former Akwa United winger Aniekeme Okon reduced the deficit for Remo Stars but that was all they could do as their attacking moves were successfully defended by a well coordinated backline.
Reacting to his team’s victory coach Fatai Osho praised his team’s fighting spirit and stressed that the win has boosted their confidence.
“I’m really impressed with my players for the performance they put up today. They all came to the party and the goals we were struggling to score in previous matches came in spectacular fashion against a team like Remo Stars.
“We didn’t allow the early goal we conceded to distract us, the boys didn’t drop their heads because they knew they needed to get the job done. My players showed mental toughness and resilience to fight back. Coming back from a goal down to lead 3-1 and finally winning 3-2 is a sign of good things to come and we want to build on this victory”.
The result means Akwa United has improved their superior head-to-head record against Remo Stars to six wins, one draw and one defeat in eight meetings. The Promise Keepers have now recorded two victories and three draws in their five home games played so far this season, they will next travel to Kaduna to tackle Niger Tornadoes on Matchday 10.
