Gbagada, Imperial Secure Last-Minute Qualification

The list of 12 teams have now been whittled down to 8 as the group stage of The Creative Championship Cup came to a (dramatic) end.

The drama was more intense in Group B as all six teams stood a chance of qualifying going into the final round.

Imperial began their game against Valiant sat bottom of their group. Motivated by the possibility of getting eliminated, Coach Opeyemi’s lads began the game in fine fashion, with David Aremu breaking the deadlock in the third minute.

The midfielder would go on to score a hat-trick, as a rampant Imperial triumphed 5-0. The team that began the game rock-bottom of the group finished in fourth, making room for themselves on the train into the Last Eight.

The tale was the same in the game between Gbagada and Dannaz. The Blue Eagles, starting the game in fifth, risked elimination.

But two goals in each half was enough for them to not only win, but also secure passage into the knockout phase, at Dannaz’s expense. In the group’s other game, VOE Secure qualification, alongside Beyond Limits, even though the latter lost to the former.

In Group B, Dino claimed an important 3-2 win over Atlantic Business, securing passage into the next round. Daniel Effiong (Dino) and Kolawole Odulaja (Atlantic Business) were the star performers as they each bagged a brace.

In other Group A games, Real Sapphire finished top of the group with a 2-0 triumph over Sporting Lagos. It was their fourth clean sheet of the round; a round in which they conceded just once! Despite the loss, Sporting Lagos also qualified for the next round.