NPFL: Rivers trounce Gombe 6-0, as Lobi defeat Kwara in seven-goal thriller

It was a goal-galore affair as the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Matchday 37 got underway across five venues in the country.

Rivers United cruised to a commanding 6-0 victory over relegated Gombe at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium where Shedrack Asiegbu’s first-half brace set the pace for an all-encompassing dominant display from the hosts.

Kazie Enyinnaya and Nyima Nwagua both scored to increase Rivers’ lead to 4-0 before the 65th-minute, as Seiyefa Jackson kept it late to net a brace that sealed off their emphatic victory in Port Harcourt.

Elsewhere at the Aper Aku Stadium, Lobi Stars came back from two goals down to defeat Kwara United 4-3 in Makurdi. After Emmanuel Ogbole and Anthony Omaka had given Kwara a two-goal lead before the 15th-minute mark, Waheed Adebayo reduced Lobi’s deficit from the spot before Francis Odinaka’s 25th-minute strike brought both teams level.

About fifteen minutes into the second half, the Afonja Warriors retook the lead through Garba Abubakar before Alao Danbani equalised for the Ortom Boys from their second penalty of the game to make it 3-3. Kumaga Suur’s clever finish around the 85th-minute completed Lobi’s comeback, as they hope to seal a continental finish in their last game of the season.

Other full-time results saw Plateau United and ten-man Kano Pillars settle for a 1-1 draw in Jos, as Katsina defeated Doma United 2-0. Chukwudi Esobe’s 18th-minute strike won all three points for Heartland against Naija Tornadoes at the Awka City Stadium, as the NPFL 2023/24 penultimate matchday continues on Sunday, June 16.