Rivers Angels Sports Club got back to winning ways with a 1-2 victory over COD Ladies of Lagos.
The week 7 encounter of the Nigeria Women Football League played at the Onikan Stadium in Lagos produced two red cards.
It was COD Ladies that actually had the first shot on target but Adeshola Opeyemi’s goal inside the first minute was ruled offside almost immediately after kick off.
A match well dominated by the Edwin Okon tutored side saw Mabel Effiom volley in an Ngozi Ebere’s corner kick in the 10th minute to give the visitors a 0-1 lead.
In the 29th minute, Ayila Loveth came close to scoring a second from an Ebere’s cross but her shot went off target.
Then in the 39th minute, right back defender, Ugo Njoku got the second goal with Amarachi Ojinma assisting
Few minutes before half time, the home team came close to putting one in through Okpe Blessing but Uju Joseph rushed to clear from goal line after goalkeeper Christy Ohiaeriaku missed her touch.
In the 66th minute Rivers Angels were reduced to ten players as Ayila Loveth was shown a straight red after she brought down Agams Nkechi.
Four minutes later, Dike Patience got a second yellow after she elbowed Juliet Bassey and was sent off to reduce the home team to 10 players as well.
However a goal mouth scramble in the 86th minute made it 1-2 as Ikechukwu Vivian slotted in a set piece cross from Okpe Blessing.
Despite the 2-1 victory, head coach of Rivers Angels Edwin Okon said his team conceded a cheap goal
“Well I thank the players from Rivers Angels and I think was a very good fight, but at that level we just want to go back home and then see how we can correct some of the mistakes.
You can as well see the goal we conceded cheap goals for a team like Rivers Angels and my take is just to go back to the drawing board and see how to correct those mistakes so that we can as well go back to where we supposed to be,” Okon said.
On his part, head coach of COD Ladies, Alabi Kazeem said his side his side played against a national team.
“If you look at ball possession, we were better than them. We kept our balls on the ground and that is what we’re teaching them.
My players they’re very young and we’re playing against the national team, we have about ten of them from the Falcons, so if my girls can hold them like this it means their future is so bright so am okay with the performance, I think they will do better in their next match,” Kazeem said.
Results from the weekend
Group A
Delta Queens 3-0 Osun Babes (Inconclusive as at 70th minute)
Ibom Angels 2-0 Adamawa Queens
Bayelsa Queens 3-0 Confluence Queens
Group B
COD Ladies 1-2 Rivers Angels
Capital City Doves 0-0 Taraba Queens
Pelican Stars 0-0 Nasarawa Amazons