By Wale Mustapha
Lobi Stars head coach Mika Lönnström has pointed to missed scoring opportunities as the main reason for his side’s 1-0 defeat to Insurance FC on Saturday.
The Pride of Makurdi suffered a late setback in their Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Matchday 18 encounter at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin, as Isaac Annor’s 83rd-minute strike handed Insurance the three points.
Lobi Stars dominated the opening stages of the match but failed to convert their chances, leaving them to regret their profligacy in front of goal.
While Lönnström acknowledged his team’s solid performance, he expressed disappointment at their inability to capitalize on set pieces.
“I don’t think we should have lost the match, but that’s how it is,” he said. “We played well but failed to convert set pieces into goals. We’ll address these lapses in training and become better with it.”
The defeat leaves Lobi Stars in 17th position on the NPFL table, and they will look to bounce back when they face Heartland FC in their next home fixture, rounding out the first round of the league season.
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.
