Ikorodu City clinched their first away victory of the season with a gritty 2-1 triumph over Katsina United, while Bayelsa United and Kwara United also secured their first away win, defeating Rivers United and Nasarawa United, respectively.
Riding high from a recent 2-0 home win over title contenders Rivers United, Ikorodu City headed into the match with confidence. However, they faced an early setback when Katsina United’s Moses Effion scored in the 18th minute, putting the hosts in front.
Ikorodu City responded just before halftime, as Solomon Alade’s equalizer shifted the game’s momentum. Both teams fought hard for the win, but it was Ikorodu’s Emmanuel Solomon who had the final word, scoring an 89th-minute goal to secure a memorable victory.
The win propelled Ikorodu City out of the relegation zone, lifting them to 12th place after 11 games. They aim to continue their winning streak next week against Shooting Stars in a crucial southwest derby at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena. A victory there would mark three consecutive wins for Ikorodu City this season.
Meanwhile, Rivers United suffered a surprising 1-0 loss at home to Bayelsa United. Nurudeen Aweroro’s 7th-minute goal proved decisive. Despite numerous attempts to equalize, Rivers United were unable to break down Bayelsa’s resilient defense.
This loss marked Rivers United’s first home defeat in the Nigeria Premier Football League since March 2019 and snapped their 91-game unbeaten home streak (75 wins, 15 draws, 1 loss), according to OptaNGR.
It is the second consecutive league loss for Rivers United having fell to Ikorodu City 2-0 last week in Lagos.
They will look to recover when they visit table leaders Remo Stars, who recently held Enyimba to a goalless draw in Aba.
In Lafia, Nasarawa United endured a disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Kwara United. Emmanuel Ogbole’s goal in first-half stoppage time (45+2) was enough to secure the win for Kwara, as Nasarawa United failed to find an equalizer throughout the second half.
