The Nigeria Women Football League Premiership first runners-up, Nasarawa Amazons of Lafia, yesterday, at the University of Benin, Ugbowo Campus, pummeled Brave Hearts FC of Benin City 10-1, to book a place in the quarterfinals of the second edition of the Betsy Obaseki Women’s Football Tournament.
The Theophilus Danjuma-tutoured team led 6-0 in the first half, after completely outplaying their opponent from Benin. The Brave Heart team scored a consolatory goal to reduce the score line to 6-1 in the first five minutes of the second half. The goal was scored via penalty kick awarded by the FIFA-rated centre referee, Olufunmilayo Alaba, after a Brave Hearts striker was brought down in the penalty box from their first and only attacking move in the game.
This goal brought out the other side of the Nasarawa Amazons players, as they tuned up their attacking skills to score additional four goals to make the club the team with the highest number of goals scored in a single match in the tournament.
Forty-eight hours before this game, FC Robo of Lagos, in a Group A game, had scored nine unreplied goals against Brave Hearts FC of Benin. This record was, however, broken yesterday morning with this new milestone set by Nasarawa Amazons. Few hours after FC Robo of Lagos defeated Brave Hearts of Benin 9-0, Edo Queens of Benin City beat Royaltoms FC of Lagos, 9-1.
Also yesterday, at Western Boys High School, Royaltoms FC of Lagos, lost 2-0 to Royal Queens of Warri to book a quarterfinals place as the second placed team in Group B. In another game at Western Boys High School, Heartland Queens of Owerri defeated Osun Babes FC of Oshogbo 3-0 to book a place in the quarterfinals.
At UNIBEN Sports Complex, Confluence Queens of Lokoja, defeated Fortress Ladies of Benin 3-1 to book a quarterfinal ticket. The founder and initiator of the tournament, Betsy Obaseki, watched the Confluence Queens versus Fortress Ladies cracker.
Obaseki addressed the players of Fortress Ladies FC after the match, encouraging them not to give up on their efforts to grow a standard football club, but continue in their drive to build a formidable football club that will be worthy of emulation.
The four matches played marked the end of the group stages, as the event moves to the quarter finals which will be played tomorrow at the University of Benin and the Western Boys High School, Ikpoba Hill.
In tomorrow’s quarter finals, Nasarawa Amazons will slug it out against Naija Ratels FC of Abuja at 10 a.m., while Edo Queens battle against Heartland Queens at same venue by 1 p.m. Confluence Queens of Lokoja will confront FC Robo of Lagos by 10 a.m. and Delta Queens of Asaba face Royal Queens of Warri in a Niger Delta battle, all for a place in the semifinals.
