Nigeria Leagues
NPFL: Rasheed Alhassan’s late goal seals Kano Pillars’ win over Elkanemi Warriors
By Wale Mustapha
Rasheed Alhassan scored a dramatic stoppage-time goal to secure a 2-1 victory for Kano Pillars over Elkanemi Warriors in the rescheduled Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) encounter on Wednesday.
The intense encounter, played at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano, saw both teams go into halftime locked at 0-0, despite creating numerous opportunities to break the deadlock.
Kano Pillars took the lead in the 62nd minute when veteran midfielder Rabiu Ali converted a penalty after an infringement in the Elkanemi penalty box.
However, the Warriors responded just four minutes later, with Al-Amin Umar calmly equalizing from the penalty spot.
As the match seemed destined for a draw, Alhassan stepped up in the dying seconds. A perfectly timed through pass from the right wing saw him break into the box, where he unleashed a curling shot that left Elkanemi’s goalkeeper stranded and secured all three points for the Pyramid Boys.
With the win, Kano Pillars climbed to ninth place in the NPFL standings with 32 points from 23 matches, while Elkanemi Warriors remain in sixth with 35 points from the same number of games.
