Musa Usman put up a man of the match performance to help Gombe United beat Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) Ilorin FC 2-1 in a Match Day 36 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) encounter at the Pantami Stadium, Gombe on Sunday.
Usman put the hosts ahead in the 13th minute from the spot.
Austin Oladapo had beaten his marker, Ernest Governor, but the defender’s attempt to muscle him the off ball, stumbled on him before the midfielder went down for the penalty.
Wasiu Alalade draw level just four minutes before the break after heading pass Danjuma Hussaini in goal for Gombe United.
Alalade had beaten his markers to head past Hussaini who only clapped as the ball went in.
The hosts restarted the game better than the visitors but the duo of Ernest Governor and Chinedu Ajanah were hard knots for the hosts to crack.
Usman rose to the ocassion again in the 65th minute to head past Abdullahi Boje after dual saves from the goalkeeper who was outstanding throughout the game.
The Saraki Boys were denied an advantage in the 67th minute when one of the Gombe United defenders handled the ball in his own box as Hussaini also ran into Alalade but the centre referee awarded the hosts a free kick at the end.
From then, the visitors put pressure on their hosts to level up as Adeshina Gata tormented the Savannah Scorpions defense from time to time.
Gata’s fantastic dribbling skills and dangerous moves was always an issue for the Gombe United’s defenders to deal with for the entire duration of the game.
Whenever the youngster gets the ball, the spectators will always shout to alert their players to mark him before getting past them again.
The Saraki Boys will host Abia Warriors in Ilorin for match day 37 on Sunday.
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