Mbwas Mangut said everything that needed to be said in one line: battered, tested, but unbroken. Nasarawa United surrendered a two goal lead, survived extra time, and then won the penalty shootout 5-3 to book a President Federation Cup quarter final against Plateau United.
Nasarawa United’s place in the President Federation Cup quarter-finals was earned the hard way. At the Awka Township Stadium on Saturday, the Solid Miners led Rivers United 2-0 through goals from Leonard Ugochukwu and Ada Umar, only for Samson Obi and Handsome Surveyor to pull the Port Harcourt club level and force extra time. When 120 minutes failed to separate the sides, the shootout became the arbiter, and Nasarawa held their nerve to win 5-3 from the spot.
For technical adviser Mbwas Mangut, the manner of the victory was more telling than the scoreline. Speaking to the club’s media after the final whistle, he described what his team had gone through with the directness of a man who understood exactly how fragile the situation had been. “We were battered, tested, but unbroken,” he said. “Letting a 2-0 lead slip off your grasp in such a dying moment is the most dangerous scoreline in football. A lot of teams won’t survive that, but I thank God and praise my wards for the character shown from the spot.” Fans following the President Federation Cup quarter-finals can stay updated and get enhanced pre-match offers through FootballInNigeria.com.ng’s Bet9ja promotion code page before the last eight fixtures kick off.
What Rivers United Brought to the Table
Rivers United were not a straightforward opponent. They had arrived in Awka having already eliminated NPFL champions Rangers International in the Round of 32 earlier in the competition, a result that demonstrated their quality and underlined why Mangut’s relief after the final whistle was so genuine. When Obi and Surveyor scored to wipe out the two goal deficit, the momentum had completely flipped, and a Nasarawa side that had looked comfortable was suddenly scrambling to hold on.
Mangut acknowledged the psychology of that moment in his post match remarks. Leading 2-0 in a knockout cup tie can breed a false sense of security, and when the deficit is overhauled, the weight of what might have been can collapse a team’s discipline entirely. That it did not happen to Nasarawa United is the detail that genuinely impressed their technical adviser. “Honestly what you need to go deep in this competition that doesn’t offer you a second chance to make amends,” he noted, framing the shootout win as evidence of mental toughness rather than just good fortune.
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Plateau United Await in the Quarter-Finals
Nasarawa United’s reward for surviving this test is a quarter final tie against Plateau United, who secured their own place in the last eight with a 2-1 win over FC Basira at the FIFA Goal Project pitch in Abuja. Paul Magit and Dawa Victor scored for Plateau, setting up what will be a North Central derby with genuine cup pedigree on both sides. Plateau United are one of the more established forces in Nigerian cup football, and the quarter-final represents another examination of the character Mangut was praising in Awka.
The broader picture of the Round of 16 produced several compelling results. Sokoto United continued their giant-killing run by beating Adamawa United 2-0. El-Kanemi Warriors eliminated Bendel Insurance on penalties after a 3-3 draw. Wikki Tourists beat Kada Warriors 3-1. Ikorodu City squeezed past Enyimba on spot kicks after a 1-1 draw in Benin City. And a Sunshine Stars U-19 side that had captured attention for their run in the competition was finally stopped, going down 1-0 to Barau FC. Nasarawa United fans planning to back the Solid Miners in the quarter finals can find the current offer details at the latest Bet9ja promotion code page before the fixtures are confirmed.
Mangut’s Message to His Players
There was genuine warmth in how Mangut framed his assessment after the game. He did not dwell on the collapse of the two goal lead, nor did he attribute the progression to luck. Instead he focused on what the shootout result said about his squad’s psychological makeup, which is precisely the quality a technical adviser wants to see demonstrated in a knockout competition where there is no margin for error and no opportunity to put a bad result right in a following fixture.
Nasarawa United now carry that belief into the quarter finals. The President Federation Cup has narrowed to eight clubs, and the Solid Miners have already shown they can absorb pressure, fight back from a position of vulnerability, and deliver when the stakes are highest. That is usually enough to go deep in any cup competition, and Mangut knows it.
📌 Did You Know?
- Rivers United had eliminated NPFL champions Rangers International in the Round of 32 of the 2026 President Federation Cup before facing Nasarawa United in the Round of 16, making them one of the most dangerous clubs left in the competition at that stage.
- Nasarawa United are known as the Solid Miners, a nickname that reflects the state of Nasarawa’s rich mineral resources, particularly its solid minerals deposits which gave the club its distinctive identity.
- The President Federation Cup is Nigeria’s oldest domestic football trophy, with the competition having been contested since 1945 under various names before being rebranded and restructured to its current format.
- Kwara United, the defending champions of the 2026 President Federation Cup, were eliminated in the Round of 32 by Sokoto United, meaning the title was up for grabs without the holders as early as the Round of 16.
- Enyimba FC, one of the most successful clubs in the history of the President Federation Cup with nine titles, were eliminated at the Round of 16 stage by Ikorodu City on penalties, continuing a difficult season for the Aba giants.
- Sunshine Stars U-19, one of the surprise packages of the 2026 President Federation Cup, reached the Round of 16 and only exited at that stage, providing one of the more inspiring stories of the competition’s early rounds.
- Mbwas Mangut previously served as technical adviser at Plateau United before taking charge at Nasarawa United, meaning the President Federation Cup quarter-final against Plateau United is a reunion with his former club.
