By Wale Mustapha
Nasarawa United’s Technical Adviser, Salisu Yusuf, has praised his team’s “fantastic win” over Enugu Rangers, describing the 1-0 victory as a significant relief.
The Solid Miners secured the narrow win in their Matchday 30 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) clash at the Lafia Township Stadium on Friday.
Yusuf acknowledged the difficulty of the encounter, particularly with Rangers being one of the top-three teams in the league, and noted the pressure his players faced due to their lower position on the table.
“Playing against a team in the top-three is always difficult, and considering our position on the table, this made our players anxious and put them under a lot of pressure,” Yusuf said. “You could see in the first half when they had three clear chances to score but were jittery.”
Despite the tension, Nasarawa United created some solid opportunities of their own and ultimately triumphed with a penalty, which Yusuf considered a well-earned result.
“Rangers gave us a good fight. They had more resting days compared to us. But let me say it’s a fantastic game,” he added.
The win, however, was not enough to lift Nasarawa United out of the relegation zone, and they remain locked in a battle for survival as the season progresses.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
