Enugu 2021: Niger Tornadoes beat 3SC to claim NNL Super 8 championship

[From CHUKS EZE, Enugu]

Niger Tornadoes Football Club of Minna has emerged Champions of the 2020/2021 NNL Super 8 Championship, tagged: Enugu 2021.

The Tornadoes emerged winners by triumphing over Shooting Stars Football Club (3SC) of Ibadan, with a 3-2 margin in the final match which was played in the main bowl of Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, Sunday.

The champions had netted the first goal of the match nine minutes on through Shamsudeen Asheun, but just 7 minutes afterwards, 3SC’s Gafar Olatemiran levelled scores at the 16th minute, making it one-all at the end of the first half.

In the second half, Tornadoes’ Ahmed Liman and Augustine came on target with double goals in the 57th and 64th minutes raising the champions’ goals to three.

However, 3SC’s Raheem Quadry later reduced the scoreline to 3-2, a status quo that subsisted till the final whistle.

Earlier on, Remo Stars FC of Ogun State and Bendel Insurance FC of Benin had taken on one another in a postponed match which  ended 2-all draw.

The Oracle Today gathered that the postponement was occasioned by the failure of Insurance FC of Benin to file out for their match on Saturday, the initial scheduled date.

With the conclusion of the 2021 Super 8 Champ, four teams including Niger Tornadoes, 3SC, Gombe United and Remo Stars have gained promotion into the 2021/2022 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

Other winners that emerged at the championship include Olamfhian Gafal of 3SC who won the Highest Goal scorer of the season with 16 goals, as well as the Most Valuable Players (MVP).

The best goalkeeper position went to 3SCs Charles Tembe while Coach of the season went to Coach Mohammed Bala of Tornadoes.

Meanwhile, the Giant Brilla FC of Enugu which had survived the season on a slim note, was announced as the Best Behaved Team of the season.

In his speech after the match, the coach of 3SC FC Edith Agoye, described the finals as championship of champions.

While congratulating Niger Tornadoes for winning the super 8, Agoye opined that all the teams that met at the finals were good, adding that it was cheering that his team (3SC) had rejoined the NPFL.

“We are going home to prepared for the higher league so that, we will do well to justify all we have put into the club,” he said.

The competition was originally scheduled to hold from September 7 to 11, 2021.

However, it was forced to enter Sunday, 12th September, after IPOB Sit-at-Home order affected all the matches that were scheduled for Thursday, September 9, 2020. It was as well gathered that the hurried closing formalities of the event, Sunday, was to enable participants to leave town before the commencement of another set of Sit-at-Home that is alleged to hold on Monday and Tuesday, September 13th and 14th, 2021.