The new darling club of Lagosians, Sporting Lagos FC, on Sunday, defeated Remo Stars in a keenly contested 2023 Naija Super 8 championship, the maiden edition of the tournament.
The Lagos boys beat Remo Stars 4-2 on penalties to win the tournament played at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Onikan, Lagos.
The two teams had previously met in the early stages of the competition with the Lagos side defeating their counterparts from Ogun State 2-1.
However, the final match, tagged South-West historic derby, was a different ball game as both sides came out smoking in the pulsating encounter as the packed stadium cheered on.
In the early stage, both teams struggled to establish a foothold.
Isaac James came closest to scoring in the first half but his header clattered off the woodwork, denying Remo Stars an early lead in the game.
The first half ended in a stalemate.
The match, however, opened up in the second half after Sporting Lagos registered the first goal in the 54th minute.
Jonathan Alukwu rose highest to meet a free kick delivery and his header ricocheted into the path of Aliu Salawudeen who stabbed the ball into the net.
Remo Stars equalised deep into stoppage time as Adam Olamilekan reacted quickest and turned in a shot from Sikiru Alimi.
The game subsequently went to spot kicks to determine the winner following the draw after regulation time.
Sporting Lagos shot stopper, Christian Nwoke who sealed the victory for Sporting Lagos denied Remo Stars’ Nduka Harrison and Ismail Sodiq during the shootouts.
The NPFL newly promoted side took home the N25 million prize money as the champions while Remo Stars went home with N9 million as the runner-up.
