By Wale Mustapha
Nasarawa United head coach, Salisu Yusuf, has commended his players for their resilience after a hard-fought 2–1 comeback victory against Lobi Stars in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) encounter on Wednesday.
Playing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu, the Solid Miners overcame an early deficit after Japhet Kundushima gave Lobi Stars the lead in the opening minutes.
Second-half goals from Shina Kumater and Anas Yusuf turned the tide in Nasarawa’s favor.
Speaking after the match, Yusuf admitted that fixture congestion and player fatigue nearly cost his team the game.
“It was a very difficult game,” he told the club’s media team.
“My boys were tired, especially in the first 20 minutes, and we got punished for it.”
Yusuf pointed to the toll of recent travel, including trips to Gombe and Benin City, before arriving in Enugu, as a key factor in the team’s sluggish start.
“But during halftime, we told the players to dig deep, knowing how crucial this stage of the season is,” he said.
“We asked them to show hunger and passion—and thankfully, we got the response we needed right after the break.”
The win boosts Nasarawa United’s survival hopes as the league campaign nears its climax.
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.
