By Dayo Awoniyi
Host team Ogun State pulled off a major upset on Sunday, defeating the Golden Eaglets 2-1 in a tense semi-final clash at the ongoing National Sports Festival, tagged 2024 Gateway Games.
The victory secures Team Ogun a place in the men’s football final, where they will face Kwara State in what promises to be a thrilling championship match.
The Golden Eaglets, Nigeria’s U-17 national team, entered the game as strong favorites but were unable to withstand the determined effort of the host side, who capitalized on home advantage and a spirited performance to clinch the win.
Earlier in the day, Kwara State edged Kaduna State 1-0 in the first semi-final, with Muhammed Abdullahi scoring the decisive goal in the 62nd minute.
With the final now set between Ogun and Kwara, attention turns to Tuesday’s bronze medal match, where the Golden Eaglets will take on Kaduna State.
The men’s football final is one of the most anticipated events of the festival, as fans nationwide look forward to a high-stakes showdown between two in-form sides.
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.
