By Mohammed Nasir Shuaibu
Nasarawa United FC held hosts Wikki Tourists FC to a 1–1 draw in a Nigeria Premier League fixture played on Sunday at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi.
The encounter kicked off at 4:00 p.m., with both sides showing strong attacking intent in the opening half. Nasarawa United took the lead in the 27th minute when jersey number 29 struck from the centre of the field to beat the Wikki Tourists goalkeeper.
The home side responded swiftly, as Wikki Tourists equalised eight minutes later. Jonathan Joshua, wearing jersey number 22, fired a powerful shot from a tight angle in the 35th minute to restore parity and delight the home fans.
Both teams returned for the second half with renewed determination, creating several scoring opportunities but failing to convert their chances.
Wikki Tourists were handed a golden opportunity to secure maximum points in the 75th minute after a defensive lapse by the Nasarawa United captain resulted in a penalty. However, Ibrahim Shuaibu (jersey number 13) failed to capitalise, as his spot kick was missed.
The match ended 1–1, with both teams settling for a share of the points.
With the result, Wikki Tourists now have 25 points and remain 14th on the Nigeria Premier League table.
Reacting to the match, the Assistant Coach of Wikki Tourists FC, Bashir Saleh, pledged to make the necessary corrections ahead of subsequent fixtures. He lamented the team’s persistent failure to convert penalty kicks and assured that efforts would be intensified during training to improve spot-kick execution.
On his part, the Assistant Coach of Nasarawa United FC commended his players for adhering strictly to technical instructions throughout the encounter.
Supporters of both teams also praised the match officials for what they described as fair and commendable officiating.
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