Rivers United closed the gap at the top of the Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL to eight points after they pipped Niger Tornadoes, while leaders Remo Stars suffered a 2-1 defeat at Bendel Insurance.
The Port Harcourt side moved to 46 points from 28 matches after Samson Obi struck the winner in the 83rd minute against Niger Tornadoes at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium.
Meanwhile, table-toppers Remo Stars stumbled on their travels, falling 2-1 to Bendel Insurance in Benin City. Despite the setback, Daniel Ogunmodede’s men remain in control of the title race with 54 points from their fixtures.
The victory propelled Insurance to seventh position in the standings as they improved to 41 points, keeping alive their hopes of securing a continental ticket.
In the day’s other fixture, struggling Lobi Stars endured more misery as they began life at their third home ground this season with a disappointing loss. Shola Adelani’s late strike gave Ikorodu City all three points in the match played in Enugu.
The defeat was Lobi’s 14th of the current campaign, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the table with just 23 points. The Makurdi-based side now face an uphill battle to avoid relegation, sitting eight points from safety with 10 matches remaining.
Rivers United will be hoping to maintain their winning form as they look to put more pressure on Remo Stars in the coming weeks, while Insurance will be aiming to build on their impressive victory against the league leaders to climb further up the table.
Elsewhere, Akwa United kept their survival hopes alive after battling a 1-1 draw with Rangers International in a match day 28 NPFL encounter.
The Promise Keepers opened the scoring via Kabir Osoba on 24th minute before Saviour Isaac restored parity from the spot in the 48th minutes as the visitors dented Rangers title aspirations.
In Lafia, Sunshine Stars came from a goal down to secure an away draw with Nasarawa United while Heartland FC extended their winless run after it ended one apiece with visiting Bayelsa United.
Former champions Plateau United boosted their chances of escaping relegation with a slim 1-0 win over Abia Warriors during a match-day 28 game in Jos on Sunday.
A 54th-minute penalty from Olawale Doyeni made the difference for the Peace Boys, ultimately moving them out of the relegation zone into the 14th position on the log with 34 points after 14 matches.
It was the Jos side’s third win in their last three matches, adding to their run of contrasting results in the fight against the drop.
Their struggle is also compounded by a three-point deduction which was slammed on them by the NPFL board after the trouble that erupted in their game against Rangers International in November.
Plateau United still have eight more games to secure their safety in the NPFL this season.
Meanwhile, the relegation battle in the 2024/25 NPFL season keeps getting intense with at least 10 teams still battling against the drop.
Enyimba recorded a 1-0 victory over El-Kanemi Warriors in their matchday 28 encounter in Aba on Sunday.
Joseph Atule scored the winning goal for the nine-time champions in the 29th minute. Enyimba are now unbeaten in their three league games.
In Ilorin, Kwara United defeated Kano Pillars 2-0. Wasiu Alalade and Wasiu Jimoh got the goals for Kwara United.
Nasarawa United and Sunshine Stars played out a 1-1 draw at the Lafia City Stadium.
Idris Ajiya gave the home team the lead, while Ahmadu Liman levelled for Sunshine Stars nine minutes before the break.
Olayemi Doyeni scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot as Plateau United claimed a 1-0 victory over Abia Warriors.
NPFL MATCH DAY 28 RESULTS
Rangers Int’l 1-1 Akwa United
Enyimba FC 1-0 El Kanemi Warriors
Heartland FC 1-1 Bayelsa United
Nasarawa United 1-1 Sunshine Stars
Plateau United 1-0 Abia Warriors
Kwara United 2-0 Kano Pillars
Rivers United 1-0 Niger Tornadoes
Bendel Insurance 2-1 Remo Stars
Lobi Stars 0-1 Ikorodu City
Katsina United 1-0 Shooting Stars
