By Wale Mustapha
Remo Stars head coach Daniel Ogunmodede has admitted his side deserved more than a point after being held to a 1-1 draw by Rivers United in their Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season opener on Friday.
The defending champions fell behind early at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta when Aniekemen Okon’s glancing header put the visitors ahead.
However, veteran striker Victor Mbaoma restored parity for the Sky Blue Stars, who pushed late on but were unable to find a winner.
Speaking after his 100th match in charge of Remo Stars, Ogunmodede expressed mixed feelings about the result.
“It’s okay that we didn’t lose, but judging by our second-half performance, I believe we should have won,” the tactician said.
“Personally, it was an important game for me because it was my 100th match as head coach of Remo Stars, and I really wanted to win it. But this is football.”
Despite a sluggish start, Ogunmodede highlighted his side’s improved control after the break, while stressing the importance of building momentum in their title defence.
Remo Stars will travel to face NPFL newcomers Kun Khalifat on Matchday Two, while Rivers United welcome Kwara United to Port Harcourt.
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.
