10-man Sunshine stuns Kano Pillars

Sunshine Stars ripped to shreds bookmakers’ prediction by shocking last season’s Premier League runner-up, Kano Pillars, by just a goal from Dayo Ojo’s 15th minute goal in spite of playing more than an hour with 10 men.

Kano Pillars made six changes from the starting line-up that faced Kwara United on the opening day of the Super Four though coach Salisu Yusuf was forced to leave out Shehu Shagari who was suspended for the game.

Sunshine Stars’ coach, Solomon Ogbeide, stuck to eight of the players that began in the one-nil loss to Enyimba on Day One on Wednesday.

But it was Sunshine Stars that got off the starting blocks fastest when Ojo tapped home the winner just on the quarter hour-mark.

On 26 minutes, however, Precious Osas of Sunshine Stars was given a straight red card for stopping a goal-bound move by Kano Pillars’ marksman, Moses Ogaga.

In spite of going one man down, Ojo and Ganiyu Anifowoshe held the attacking line for Sunshine Stars well throughout the game and kept the Pillars back four busy any time the Akure side ventured forward.

The first half finished with Sunshine Stars hanging on to its one-goal lead.

The restart did not change, as Pillars appeared to be bereft of ideas raising debates in the stands that the team may be missing its record goalscorer, Ahmed Musa, who is away on African Youth Championship (AYC) qualifier with Nigeria’s Under-20s.

The match wore on without much activities but on 70 minutes, Sunshine Stars’ goalscorer, Dayo Ojo, was booked for simulation inside Kano Pillars’ goal area by centre referee, Emmanuel Imiere from Edo State in spite of shouts for penalty from the Stars’ technical area.

Yaro Yaro’s attempt at goal from 25 yards was comfortably kept out by Sunshine Stars’ goalkeeper, Sunday Makama, as the Stars continue to foil Pillars’ efforts to fight back.

Makama keeps out another goal-bound effort from Yaro Yaro’s free-kick from the left channel of the field on 89 minutes.

Sunshine Stars had another penalty shout in added time when Ojo thought he had been felled in the box after a misunderstanding between Kano Pillars’ defender, Francis Akommor and his goalkeeper, Theophilus Afelokhai.