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Bayelsa United extended their unbeaten run to seven matches in all competitions with a 3-0 victory over out-of-form Shooting Stars at the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa on Friday evening.
The Prosperity Boys made their intentions clear early in the matchday 33 opener of the 2024/25 Nigeria Premier Football League season, dominating possession and carving out opportunities from the opening minutes. An early effort from Yusuf Issah in the seventh minute forced a straightforward save from the Shooting Stars goalkeeper Mustapha Lawal before Kehinde Malik tested him again shortly afterwards with a half-volley.
Shooting Stars almost drew first blood in the 14th minute with a direct header, but Bayelsa United goalkeeper Ezekiel Clinton was equal to the challenge. Controversy followed moments later when the visiting goalkeeper handled the ball outside his penalty area. Despite the offence, he escaped with only a yellow card.
Bayelsa United were eventually rewarded for their pressure in the 27th minute. Ifeanyi Ogba latched onto a lofted ball from Wisdom Magbisa and coolly slotted home to open the scoring. He nearly doubled the lead four minutes later with a curling effort that sailed just wide.
The Prosperity Boys continued to dictate proceedings, and in the 41st minute, Magbisa finished off a fine sequence of passes with Rabiu Abdullahi by guiding the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs to make it 2-0 at half-time.
Just four minutes into the second half, the hosts struck again. This time, Ifeanyi turned provider, delivering a cross that was calmly converted by Malik to extend the lead to 3-0. Ifeanyi nearly added a fourth moments later with another shot that narrowly missed the target.
Despite a few missed opportunities from Rabiu and Wisdom, Bayelsa United maintained control for the remainder of the contest, with Ogundare’s impressive interceptions ensuring that the Oluyole Warriors never threatened a comeback.
The result leaves Bayelsa United in ninth place with 45 points from 33 matches, just one point behind Enyimba in eighth, and five points adrift of the continental qualification positions. With a goal difference of +2, Bayelsa United are also just one goal behind Shooting Stars, who remain on 48 points and have now recorded only one win in their last 10 league outings.
The defeat in Yenagoa is the latest blow in what has become a turbulent period for Shooting Stars. On Wednesday, the Nigeria Premier Football League fined the Ibadan club a total of N5 million and ordered that the Lekan Salami Stadium be closed to fans for the rest of the season following serious security breaches during their matchday 32 fixture against Ikorodu City. The league’s disciplinary panel found Shooting Stars guilty of failing to provide adequate security, failing to control their supporters, and allowing objects to be thrown onto the pitch and towards match officials. The club was also directed to pay N2 million in damages to Ikorodu City after their team bus was attacked.
In a separate development, the Nigeria Football Federation expelled Shooting Stars from the 2025 President Federation Cup earlier this month for fielding ineligible players during their scheduled first-round tie against Zamfara United. The club, who had originally advanced to the round of 32 by walkover, were found to have violated player registration rules and were consequently disqualified from the tournament.
The cumulative off-field sanctions and on-field struggles have plunged the Oluyole Warriors into a deep crisis, with fans now barred from supporting their team at home and their Federation Cup campaign cut short. They will next face league leaders Remo Stars behind closed doors at the Lekan Salami Stadium, while Bayelsa United head to Kaduna to face Niger Tornadoes on Sunday.
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