- Safiu Kehinde
The Ibadan-based Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) were on Sunday held to a frustrating 1-1 draw Ikorodu City Football Club at the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Match Day-3 clash.
With both sides yet to record a win this season, the southwest derby saw the teams displayed early determination to ease tension among their fans.
Sodiq Ibrahim opened scoring for 3SC in the ninth minute, firing a powerful strike from distance into Ikorodu’s net to hand the hosts an early advantage.
Ikorodu’s Kelechi Onwe almost equalised in the 34th minute, but his header beat goalkeeper Mustapha Lawal before being cleared off the line by a defender.
However, Shola Adelani’s timely strike restored parity for Ikorodu City on the stroke of half-time.
Despite tactical substitutions from both sides, the encounter eventually ended in a stalemate.
At the post-match briefing, 3SC Head Coach, Nurudeen Aweroro, said his side had planned to win convincingly but were left disappointed after another frustrating draw.
Aweroro added that the team showed improvement compared to their first home game but must return to the drawing board for further adjustments and improvements.
On his part, the Ikorodu City’s Coach, Bright Ozegbagbei, praised his players’ spirited response to conceding early, which resulted in their equaliser shortly before half-time, keeping them competitive in the contest.
He stressed that the league season remains young, noting that there is still enough time to work on the squad for stronger performances in upcoming fixtures.
The result currently leaves 3SC at the15th spot on the table with two points from three games, following earlier losses to Bayelsa United and Bendel Insurance.