Adams Jesse
Plateau United picked the sole ticket of the Lafia zone of the npfl U17 Youth League after beating Kwara United in the last game of the group.
In the first game of the last day, Lobi Stars who needed at least a draw to top the North Central zone fell to the superior firepower of Niger tornadoes.
A game many thought would be a stroll in the pack for the Benue boy began on a good note and Terhinde Samson strucked with ferocious shot to put his side in the driving sit in the 23rd minutes but Mubarak Abdullahi equalized in the 38th minutes as Lobi Stars piled the pressure on Tornadoes.
Shamsudeen Aliyu scored two quick goals when the defender gracefully got to the end of Sulieman Abubakar’s cross in the 45th and 59th minutes to pearce a dagger into the heart of the Lobi Stars team before a late strike from Nelson Sule made sure Lobi Stars would end the tournament on six points.
In the second game of the day, both Kwara and Plateau United needed a win to secure the top spot ahead of Lobi Stars.The game began on a frantic pace when Plateau United went ahead courtesy of John Dabit’s strike 35 minutes into the game before Muktar Abdulwahab equalized for Kwara United five minutes later.
Plateau United secured the full points after Pede Ezekiel outsmarted his marker to riffle home the winner in the 70th minute as Plateau United went into wild jubilation. Both Shamsudeen Aliyu of Niger Tornadoes and Pede Ezekiel were awarded the Player of the Game in their respective team’s games.
