Following Akwa United’s 5-3 defeat to Bayelsa United on Matchday 1 of the 2023-24 Nigeria Premier Football League season at the Samson Siasia stadium in Yenagoa, head Coach of the team Fatai Osho has admitted that elementary mistakes were responsible for his team’s defeat.
Coach Osho expressed disappointment at the manner with which his team conceded three goals in the last fifteen minutes of the game despite taking the lead at three different times in the match.
“It’s a big shame that we are losing this type of game the way we did. We were in total control and deserved to have come out with all three points but lots of elementary errors on our part cost us the win.
“At this level of football you can’t make such mistakes because if you do you get punished and that is exactly what happened to us in this game. It’s unbelievable that we scored three goals and didn’t win or get a point out of this game. We have to quickly address all noticeable mistakes so we can come out strong in our next game”.
Taking charge of his first league match since arriving at Akwa United, coach Fatai Osho was hoping to hit the ground running as soon as possible and striker Hadi Mohammed gave the Promise Keepers the lead in the 20th minute before the goal was cancelled out by Alex Jerry’s strike in the 27th minute.
The 2021 champions regained their lead seven minutes before the break when Oguntayo Seyi’s volley was deflected into the net but the home side fought back and levelled the scores through Robert Mizo at the stroke of half-time as both sides went into the break on level terms.
On resumption of play, both sides pushed forward and created some scoring chances but their efforts were either saved by the goalkeepers or missed.
With fifteen minutes to the end of the game, midfielder Oguntayo Seyi put the Promise Keepers in front for the third time when he received a pass near the halfway line and unleashed an unstoppable shot into the top left corner of the post to make it 2-3.
The home team found their way back into the game when striker Robert Mizo intercepted Etim Mathew’s back pass to restore parity in the 82nd minute before heading home a cross from a corner kick three minutes from time to give Bayelsa United the lead for the first time in the match.
A quick counter-attack by the home side fell to substitute Emmanuel Nneoyi who finished with precision as coach Teibowei Diepreye’s team completed their comeback to record their first win of the season.
Akwa United will next face Sporting Lagos on Matchday 2 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium Nest of Champions in Uyo on Sunday 8 October, 2023.
