By OUR MAN IN KATSINA
IT WAS a night of frustration for the Shooting Stars as they were left seeing stars in a bruising NPFL encounter at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium.
Despite arriving in the North with their tails up, the Ibadan giants found themselves grounded by a dogged Katsina United side who proved that, on their day, they can mix it with the league’s big boys. The “Changi Boys” snatched a 1-0 victory that felt like a proper old-school heist, leaving the visitors wondering how they’re heading home with nothing but a bruised ego.
The match was billed as a chance for the Stars to prove their title credentials, but instead, they looked more like a flickering candle in a Katsina gale. The first half was a cagey, claustrophobic affair that would have had even the most die-hard fan checking their watch.
But the game exploded into life in the 66th minute. As the Stars’ defense switched off for a split second, Katsina pounced. A lightning-quick move carved through the heart of the Oluyole Warriors, ending with a clinical finish that sent the home crowd into absolute raptures.
Shooting Stars threw everything—including the kitchen sink—at the hosts in the closing stages. They huffed and they puffed, but they couldn’t blow the Katsina house down. The home side’s backline was like a brick wall, throwing bodies on the line to preserve a clean sheet that moves them up to 8th in the table with 46 points.
For the Stars, it’s a long, quiet bus ride back to Ibadan. They had the possession, they had the pedigree, but when it came to the crunch, they simply forgot their shooting boots.
FINAL SCORE: Katsina United 1, Shooting Stars 0.
