By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
David Akintola’s deflected first-half goal proved decisive as Hull City edged Sheffield United 1–0 in a closely contested Championship encounter on Saturday.
The Nigerian winger struck in the 33rd minute after meeting a deep cross from captain Lewie Coyle. His effort took a significant deflection off Chiedozie Ogbene, wrong-footing the goalkeeper and nestling into the far corner to give the Tigers the lead.
Despite sustained pressure from the visitors, Hull held firm, with goalkeeper Ivor Pandur producing a crucial late save to preserve the three points.
With just two minutes remaining, Sheffield United were handed a golden opportunity to equalise when Danny Ings was brought down in the box by Semi Ajayi. Referee Darren England pointed to the spot, but Harrison Burrows’ left-footed penalty was comfortably saved by Pandur, who guessed correctly and dived to his right.
The result sees Hull City strengthen their position in the top half of the table, while Sheffield United are left to rue missed chances on a frustrating afternoon.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey 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.
