Shooting Stars Dominate Enyimba as Pillars, Wolves & Insurance Shine in NPFL

Shooting Stars produced one of the standout results of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) weekend by thrashing Enyimba 3–0 at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan on Wednesday.

Lucky Emmanuel put the Oluyole Warriors ahead in the 17th minute, and they never looked back, adding further goals in the second half through Sodiq Ibrahim and Qamar Adegoke to seal a convincing victory.

The result was among several notable away wins across the NPFL. Kano Pillars boosted their survival hopes with a 1–0 win at Nasarawa United, while newly-promoted Warri Wolves edged a narrow 1–0 victory away at Wikki Tourists courtesy of Ezekiel Oroh’s 59th-minute strike.

Bendel Insurance also enjoyed an away triumph, defeating Kwara United 1–0 at Ilorin thanks to a goal from Emmanuel Akpan just before halftime.

Elsewhere, Remo Stars claimed the South West derby with a 1–0 win over Ikorodu City, while Abia Warriors and Plateau United played out a thrilling 1–1 draw in Umuahia. Rivers United were held to a stalemate by Enugu Rangers in Enugu.

Matchday 20 delivered a mixture of decisive away victories and tight draws, tightening the competitive landscape across the league.

EDITORIAL

In Nigerian football’s grand tapestry, certain weekends arrive that crystallise both the promise and unpredictability of the NPFL. The latest round of fixtures afforded one such moment, with Shooting Stars’ emphatic dismantling of Enyimba not merely a statement on the day, but a declaration of intent from a side eager to reassert itself among the country’s elite.

To beat Enyimba a club whose pedigree resonates deeply across decades of competitive Nigerian football — by three clear goals is to seize the narrative, to arrest a season’s momentum in a single, commanding performance. Lucky Emmanuel’s early breakthrough, followed by further strikes from Sodiq Ibrahim and Qamar Adegoke, reflected more than attacking efficiency it spoke to tactical cohesion and psychological control that too often eluded the Oluyole Warriors in their less compelling outings.

Yet the weekend’s story was not confined to Ibadan. Away victories have become the currency of aspiration in this campaign — Kano Pillars, Warri Wolves and Bendel Insurance each seized valuable points on the road, underscoring a theme that is increasingly defining this NPFL season resilience away from home is no longer a novelty but a necessity.

What these results also tell us is that Nigerian club football remains a theatre of fine margins. Where home advantage once loomed large, the balance has shifted. Teams no longer fear the travel, the adversarial atmosphere or the unfamiliar turf instead, they embrace them as proving grounds. The thrill of a narrow victory and the relief of a stout defensive display are now etched into the evolving character of this league.

Enyimba’s loss and the clutch away triumphs elsewhere are a reminder that in the NPFL, consistency is the ultimate test — and points earned on foreign soil are often the ones that separate contenders from pretenders. As the season unfurls further, what matters most will not be the glamour of headline scores, but the capacity of teams to deliver when it matters — under pressure, under expectation, and under the unforgiving gaze of competition.

DID YOU KNOW?

1. Shooting Stars sit among the most historic clubs in Nigerian football, having won multiple NPFL championships during their storied history.
2. Away wins in the NPFL are often harder to achieve than home victories, partly due to travel distances and varying pitch conditions across Nigeria.
3. Enyimba are Nigeria’s most successful club in continental competition, having won back-to-back CAF Champions League titles in 2003 and 2004.
4. Rivers United, mentioned in these results, were NPFL champions in the 2021–22 season, highlighting the league’s recent competitive diversity.
5. Kano Pillars, another NPFL staple, have produced several Nigerian internationals, contributing players to the Super Eagles over the years.