Katsina United beat Sporting Lagos as coach Azeez Audu Mohammed praises players

Katsina United technical adviser Azeez Audu Mohammed said the result mattered more than securing a clean sheet after his side defeated Sporting Lagos 2-1 in their Matchday 11 meeting at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium on Sunday.

The Chanji Boys began with purpose and established a two-goal advantage before half-time. Luis Dadong opened the scoring in the 10th minute and completed his brace 18 minutes later to put Katsina United in control.

Sporting Lagos responded after the interval, with Aliyu Baba pulling a goal back in the 65th minute. Katsina United were unable to add to their lead, but defended their advantage to claim all three points at home.

Mohammed said beating Sporting Lagos represented a significant achievement because of their record away from home.

“The important thing is that we won against a quality side,” he told the NPFL media. “In 11 matches, they picked up 10 points away from home, so it’s not a small feat for us to beat them.”

The Katsina United coach was also satisfied with the way his players followed the team’s instructions, although he admitted the hosts’ performance without the ball deteriorated in the second half.

“I think my boys did well, aside from conceding. We will continue working hard until we get it right,” Mohammed added.

He said the defensive unit would need further attention before the team’s next fixture.

“I think we didn’t defend well in the second half. We are going to talk to the defenders on how to do things right,” he said.

“Overall, they did well and played according to instructions because we faced a very good team. The plan was to stop them from playing, which we did.”

The victory gives Katsina United encouragement as they prepare for their next league assignment away from home. They will travel to Ozoro to face Warri Wolves in their next fixture.