Emmanuel Ogbole scored hat-trick in 36 minutes as Kwara United defeated Rovers FC of Calabar 4-1 in the Round of 64 encounter decided at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu today, May 1, 2024.
The young and highly mobile striker scored the first goal in the 16th minute, after rounding up the goalkeeper, before adding two more goals in the 23rd and 36th minutes, to direct the club to the path of qualification for the Round of 32.
Kwara Football Academy graduate, Godwin Oshagbemi scored the last goal in the 90+2 minutes, after Rovers were able to pull one back in the 66th minutes.
Kwara United dominated play after initial rush by Rovers FC, as the harsh weather affected the two teams. Goalkeeper Adewale Adeyinka equally pulled up wonderful saves to keep the Ilorin based side much in the game.
Victor Adeoye and Godwin Oshagbemi were introduced for ThankGod Ikeagwu and Issa Gata respectively on resumption of the second half, but Kwara United seems to have been satisfied with the three goals scored.
Sadeeq Yusuf got both yellow and red cards for unsportsmanly conduct, after reacting angrily to a foul on him, and Rovers FC immediately capitalised on the situation to score, and also increased the search for more goals.
Afeez Nosiru came in for Paul Samson, while Ogbole Emmanuel and Alao Muhammad were brought out for Abubakar Garba and Shola Abdulraheem respectively, as Kwara United regained dominance.
Coach Kabir Sulaiman Dogo expressed delight with the victory, pointing out that that was the first time his team will be scoring as much as four goal in a match.
“I am happy we took our chances. That was the first time we are scoring four goals in a match. We have a mission in the Federation Cup competition, and we will take each match as it comes. We wouldn’t underrate any opponent. In a Federation Cup competition, every game is a final”, he added.
Kwara United’s next match is the outstanding NPFL encounter against Rivers United of Port Harcourt at the Kwara State Stadium Complex, on Wednesday May 8th, 2024.
