NPFL Matchday 9: Sporting Lagos win a five-goal thriller in Jos as Kano Pillars end their drought
Sporting Lagos climb to third, Rivers United are held in a game that finished on Monday morning after heavy rain, and Enyimba stay in the bottom three.
Matchday 9 took four days to finish, thanks to heavy rain in Port Harcourt, and it reshuffled the chasing pack behind Rangers. Here are all the results, the table and the stories that mattered. If you missed last week, start with the Matchday 8 round-up.
| Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|
| Shooting Stars | 3-1 | Ranchers Bees |
| Kwara United | 1-1 | Abia Warriors |
| Doma United | 1-1 | Kun Khalifat |
| Niger Tornadoes | 2-1 | Ikorodu City |
| Inter Lagos | 0-2 | Nasarawa United |
| Enyimba | 0-0 | Warri Wolves |
| Kano Pillars | 1-0 | Katsina United |
| Plateau United | 2-3 | Sporting Lagos |
| Rivers United | 0-0 | Barau FC |
| Rangers International | P-P | Bendel Insurance |
Plateau United 2-3 Sporting Lagos: the game of the round
Aliyu Baba put Sporting Lagos ahead in Jos after ten minutes. Victor Dawa then scored twice for Plateau United, in the 35th minute and in first-half stoppage time, to turn it round before the break. Victor Samuel levelled in the 53rd minute and Jacob Aondona won it in the 83rd.
A week after Plateau beat Kano Pillars 4-0 on the same pitch, they lost a lead at home. For Sporting Lagos, it is a second win in a row after beating Bendel Insurance on Matchday 8, and it takes them to third on 15 points.
Rivers United 0-0 Barau FC: rain, and two more points dropped
Heavy rain disrupted the game in Port Harcourt and, according to Sports247, it was only completed on Monday morning, 19 October. It finished goalless. Rivers United are still unbeaten, but that is now back-to-back draws after the 0-0 at Abia Warriors, and they move level with Rangers on 17 points having played a game more.
Kano Pillars 1-0 Katsina United: the drought ends
Yahaya Ibrahim scored in the sixth minute and was named man of the match as Pillars ended a run of five games without a win. After the 4-0 defeat in Jos the week before, it was the response they needed, and it lifts them into the top six.
Enyimba 0-0 Warri Wolves: still stuck
Enyimba could not score at home in Aba, and Warri Wolves captain David Joseph called the point precious. Enyimba are 18th on eight points from nine games. For the two-time African champions, the bottom three is now a fact of the season rather than a blip.
The rest of the round
- Shooting Stars 3-1 Ranchers Bees: Ojietefian, Akinola and Adegoke ended a five-game winless run for 3SC. Sodiq Ibrahim had a penalty saved.
- Niger Tornadoes 2-1 Ikorodu City: Nafiu Obalowu and Bashir Musa scored before Basit Ayinde's stoppage-time reply.
- Inter Lagos 0-2 Nasarawa United: Kelechi Ogbodo and Ugochukwu Leonard scored in the first half. Nasarawa move up to fifth.
- Kwara United 1-1 Abia Warriors and Doma United 1-1 Kun Khalifat: Kwara also missed a penalty through Muhammed Alao.
Sports247 also reports that the NPFL fined Doma United N5.25 million over hostile conduct towards Kun Khalifat's staff, and ordered their next three home games to be played behind closed doors.
The NPFL table after Matchday 9
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rangers International | 8 | +5 | 17 |
| 2 | Rivers United | 8 | +11 | 16 |
| 3 | Sporting Lagos | 9 | +2 | 15 |
| 4 | Plateau United | 9 | +4 | 14 |
| 5 | Nasarawa United | 9 | +2 | 14 |
| 6 | Kano Pillars | 9 | +1 | 14 |
| 7 | Doma United | 9 | 0 | 14 |
| 8 | Barau FC | 8 | +3 | 13 |
| 9 | Ikorodu City | 9 | +2 | 12 |
| 10 | Bendel Insurance | 8 | +1 | 12 |
| 11 | Niger Tornadoes | 9 | 0 | 12 |
| 12 | Katsina United | 9 | -2 | 12 |
| 13 | Kwara United | 9 | 0 | 11 |
| 14 | Warri Wolves | 9 | -1 | 11 |
| 15 | Shooting Stars | 9 | -2 | 11 |
| 16 | Abia Warriors | 9 | -3 | 10 |
| 17 | Kun Khalifat | 9 | -7 | 9 |
| 18 | Enyimba | 9 | -3 | 8 |
| 19 | Ranchers Bees | 9 | -3 | 8 |
| 20 | Inter Lagos | 9 | -13 | 2 |
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From the story: Rangers' ninth title, and the NPFL race it sets up for 2026/27
Sources
- NPFL Matchday 9 roundup: Sporting Lagos stun Plateau United, Kano Pillars end winless run · Sports247 (opens in a new tab)
- NPFL Matchday 9: full results and updated table · NigFooty (opens in a new tab)
- Euromatch NPFL: Matchday 9 results · Peoples Gazette (opens in a new tab)
- Joseph calls Warri Wolves' draw at Enyimba 'precious' · Football in Nigeria (opens in a new tab)
Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.
Matchday Writer
Tobenna writes Naija Playbook previews, the Weekend Board and After 90 reports. He watches the NPFL as closely as he watches Europe.
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