It was a show of strength when erstwhile defending champion of the football event of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Games ExxonMobil took on NNPC in the decisive semi final clash at the Legacy Pitch of the National Stadium, Lagos yesterday.
NNPC ran away with an emphatic 2-0 victory to oust the defending champions in a hard-fought encounter that left spectators yearning for more action.
With the loss, ExxonMobil will now have to battle for the bronze medal on February 29, when the final will also be played at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
ExxonMobil leading goal scorer, Tayo Akande attributed their loss to absence of their influential captain Imoh Idoho who could not turn up for the match due to injury.
“My team was depleted,” Akande said after the match. “For instance, our captain was injured and so could not play. We had other minor injuries too that rendered us ineffective. However, we gave them a run for their money. It was a good game of football,” he enthused.
An official of the NNPC team who doubles as a member of the Local Organising Committee, Charles Dike said his team’s confidence was high and even before the first ball was kicked, they knew no team could stop their target of getting to the final and ultimately win the trophy.