It’s a new dawn in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL). The floodgates of the 2026/27 season are officially open, and Ibadan exploded into pure drama on Friday evening.
Shooting Stars didn’t waste a single second claiming early bragging rights, grinding out a thrilling 2-1 victory over Inter Lagos at the Lekan Salami Stadium.
Both sides charged out of the blocks, but the Oluyole Warriors drew first blood just 14 minutes in. Lucky Emmanuel controlled a throw-in inside the box, danced past his defender with ease, and unleashed a thunderous strike to send the home crowd into frenzy.
The visitors refused to bow early. Just seven minutes later, Inter Lagos silenced the Ibadan faithful when Adigun Damilare met a magnificent cross to restore parity.
Right at the stroke of halftime, the decisive blow landed. Emmanuel turned provider, sliding a brilliant pass to Sodiq Ibrahim, who was recklessly brought down inside the penalty area.
Ibrahim dusted himself off, stepped up to the spot, and coolly sent the keeper the wrong way to put the Oluyole Warriors back in front.
The second half turned into a tactical, hard-fought battle with clear-cut chances at a premium.
The first-half fireworks proved to be enough, ensuring the home side bagged all three points to kick off their campaign on a high note.
