By The Shooting Stars, popularly known as the Oluyole Warriors, secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory in their final home game of the season against Barau FC at the Lekan Salami Stadium on Sunday, May 10. The win concluded Round 37 of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) 2025/2026 season.
The stadium was packed with supporters whose energy was palpable: loud enough to ginger the home side and intimidating enough to keep the visitors on edge. The Warriors fielded an unchanged starting lineup, coming off the back of a 3-2 home win against Nasarawa United. The winning goal came from Super-Sub Qamar Adegoke who has contributed incredibly to the team off the bench, AfrikTimes reported.
On the opposing side, Kano-based Barau FC started Chizom Chiaha, Bismark Duah, Nura Ibrahim, Ebuka Nwokorie, and Henry Ezoenye to bolster their defense. The newly promoted side entered the fray with high spirits following a clinical 3-0 win over El-Kanemi Warriors, but they faced a daunting task against a Shooting Stars team that had already beaten them 1-0 earlier this season in Kano.
The game began with the much anticipated high intensity. Lucky Emmanuel tested Barau’s goalkeeper, Chizom Chiaha, as early as the fourth minute, cutting in from the right to fire a low drive that Chiaha parried for a corner. Shortly after, Tijjani missed a chance to take the lead for Shooting when his header from a corner went wide.
Shooting Stars continued to press, with Sodiq Ibrahim firing wide from the near post in the 32nd minute. Barau FC remained dangerous on the break, earning several free kicks and corners, but failed to capitalize on their opportunities.
The deadlock finally broke in the 41st minute. Lucky Emmanuel latched onto a headed pass from Tijani, controlled the ball with his chest, and slotted a low shot past Chiaha to give the Warriors the lead before the end of the first half. The goal made it three for Emmanuel in his last two appearance. Recalled that AfrikTimes reported that he scored a brace against Nasarawa United in the previous encounter.
The second half remained scoreless but provided plenty of drama. In the 85th minute, Qamar Adegoke appeared to double the lead, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Later, a stinging free kick from another substitute, Abayomi, forced Chiaha into a spectacular save. After seven minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle confirmed the victory for the home side.
The win moves the Oluyole Warriors into third place with 60 points, sitting just one point above Ikorodu City in the heated race for a CAF Confederation Cup ticket.
“Our Team is not a Pushover” —Coach Eugene Agabe (Barau FC)
Coach Agabe, who took over when Barau was languishing in 19th place, commended his players for the performance, despite trailing behind Shooting Stars.
“The game is not a bad game. We thank God. I want to give kudos to my players. I still respect their ability here today. And as it is, our team is not a push over. We had chances in the early minutes to take the lead but we were not able to convert our chances,” he said.
He further noted that he is building a formidable team that will be strong enough to participate actively in the coming season and replicate the desired results.
“The team which I’m building is not for this season, but for the near future. By next season, they should be able to play so that they can get what we’re looking for.”
“The Points are More Important Than the Performance”— Coach Nurudeen Aweroro (Shooting Stars)
Shooting Stars Coach Aweroro Nurudeen, acknowledged that the game is one of the toughest in the fixtures. He noted that while the performance wasn’t perfect, the result was vital.
“Today’s game was one of the toughest but hardworking because we worked harder. The players did their best but it wasn’t what I want. We need more goals, but the points are more important than the goal. The game was tough because the opponent had good attackers. We needed to defend the lone goal in the second half and secure the opportunity for the continental.”
He added that the next game away from home against Niger Tornadoes would prove challenging but the team is dedicated to overcoming the hurdles.
“The next game is going to be tough but it won’t be tough. The players are ready for all games. We have one of the best teams in the league. It was painful that we lost two points against Kwara but it was one of the keys that triggered us to work harder,” he said.
