Heroes Win Tella Cup

It was celebration galore for Heroes Soccer Academy after defeating Soccer Warriors of Ikeja 7-6 on penalty shootout to lift U-17 Tella Cup at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos Island.

In the final played on Tuesday, both teams missed several chances as the encounter ended in a barren draw which resulted in a  penalty shoot out to decide the winners.

After the match, Heroes Coach, Fatai Abubakar, who was delighted about  his team’s performance told PM.Sports that the victory will spur him to win more laurels in subsequent football competitions. He commended both teams for doggedness and resilience throughout the encounter.

“It was a tough game for my team because I did expect  that our opponents give us a good fight but thank God that we won the game through a penalty shoot out. We will continue to celebrate this victory till this year runs out,” he said.

Soccer Warrior Coach, Frank Anyanwu, said he was not disappointed with the defeat .He said their opponents were lucky to have won the game via penalties. My players played better but they could not convert their chances at the regulation time,” he said.

Secretary of Nigeria Coaches Football Association, Lagos Chapter, Ifeoluwa Idowu, commended the spirit of sportsmanship exhibited by the participating teams throughout competition. He said despite the challenges facing the association, they were able to organise the tourney.

“We are very grateful to God for the success of this competition. We want to assure our members that the next edition will be better than this. I congratulate the two finalists for their performance,” he said.

— Sunday Akintoye