Sporting Lagos Academy humble defending champions Beyond Limits in thrilling contest

Sporting Lagos Academy and TCC League defending champions Beyond Limits played out a five-goal thriller – with the former emerging as the winner at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne on Saturday.

The TCC League match day three clash was between two popular teams – whose first teams were also clashing in the Nigerian topflight 24 hours later. Above all, the contest lived up to the hype as the goals came aplenty. 

It was Beyond Limits who started the game much better, denying their hosts by virtue of the match, any space and time on the ball. 

Promise Meliga could have scored a hattrick in the opening quarter for Beyond Limits but he was unlucky at a crucial time. The winger had a shot off target, another attempt blocked on the line before his freekick came off the woodwork. 

Sporting Lagos managed to survive that onslaught and they started to play their game. Against the run of play, they got their opening goal through Yusuf Abdullahi seven minutes before the halftime break.

At the hour mark, Sporting doubled their lead through Adeoye Boluwatife who fired home from just outside the box, leaving goalkeeper Daniel Aiyenugba hapless. Just six minutes later, BYL pulled one back through substitute Isaac Chukwudi.

Yusuf then went ahead to complete his brace as he dribbled past Abdullahi Musa before finding the bottom left corner for a 3-1 lead. Mogaji Ridwan then scored from the spot in the 87th minute to reduce the deficit but Sporting Lagos survived the late onslaught and thus handed the defending champions a second successive defeat on the road this campaign.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Yusuf Abdullahi (Sporting Lagos)

The striker took his goals brilliantly and worked so hard against the defending champions to lead his side to a win.