BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
WARRI, NIGERIA – It was a night where the “Stars” failed to shine as Warri Wolves bared their teeth to claim a gritty 1-0 victory over Remo Stars in a high-octane NPFL clash that left the visitors seeing stars of a different kind.
Under the sweltering heat of the Delta sun, the Sky Blue Stars from Ikenne arrived looking to assert their continental pedigree. Instead, they were met by a Wolves pack hungry for redemption following a controversial defeat in the reverse fixture earlier this season.
The decisive moment came in the 52nd minute when C. Orji found a pocket of space in the Remo defense.
With the clinical precision of a seasoned hunter, Orji fired home to send the home crowd into a frenzy, leaving the Remo backline—and their title ambitions—temporarily paralyzed.
While Remo Stars dominated patches of possession, trying to play their trademark “big man” football, they found the Wolves’ defense as stubborn as a Delta mule. Every time the Stars looked to find a creative spark, they were met by a wall of yellow and blue.
Speaking after the whistle, a jubilant Wolves coach Napoleon Aloma didn’t hold back, suggesting his side had been the better team over both legs of their encounter this season.
”We gave them the respect they deserved as a team that has been on the continent,” Aloma said.
“But we were confident. We outplayed them in the first leg but lost to a referee’s decision. This time, we came all out to pay our fans back.”
For the Stars, it was a night of frustration.
Despite their status as one of the league’s heavyweights, they failed to create a clear-cut opening against a Wolves side that seemed to thrive on the underdog tag.
The defeat sees the Ikenne-based outfit stumble in the title race, while the Wolves continue their climb toward the top half of the table, now sitting comfortably in 9th.
As the sun sets on this encounter, the message is clear: in the wild world of the NPFL, even the brightest Stars can be eclipsed by a pack of hungry Wolves.
