Goals from Mistura Olamilekan and Victory Lucky were all Sunshine Queens needed to come from behind and knock out Nigeria Women Football League campaigners, Confluence Queens, in the 2025 President Federation Cup Round of 16 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City.
Sunshine Queens' victory over Confluence Queens has taken them to the quarter-finals of the oldest football competition in the country.
Confluence Queens opened the scoring in the 17th minute through Winner David, leaving the Akure Land Ladies trailing by a goal in the first half of the encounter.
Sunshine Queens shrugged off the early setback and continued pressing for an equaliser, which didn’t come until after the break, as the centre referee signalled the end of the first stanza.
Mistura Olamilekan wasted no time in restoring parity for Sunshine Queens in the 63rd minute, scoring from a rebound off her teammate’s strike.
The contest remained intense, with Sunshine Queens dominating play from defence to the final third.
Victory Lucky sealed Sunshine Queens’ quarter-final ticket with an 83rd-minute strike, converting from Aluba Ogba’s well-placed free kick.
Confluence Queens’ efforts to equalise proved abortive, as the enthralling encounter ended in favour of Sunshine Queens.
Meanwhile, Onimarg FC, the second representative from Ondo State in the competition, suffered a 5–0 defeat to another NWFL side, Heartland Queens FC, at the same venue.
In his post-match interview, Sunshine Queens’ head coach, Rafiu Oseni, commended his players for sticking to instructions, saying the victory was a collective effort from the coaching team.
Oseni noted that despite the victory over an NWFL side, there were still areas of the team’s play that needed improvement.
According to him, “We will build on this good performance as we prepare for the Championship in the next few weeks.
“This President Federation Cup serves as a preparatory competition for us ahead of the forthcoming NWFL Championship.
“We’re not there yet; we will continue to work hard.
"We still have some good players back home who are not eligible for this FA Cup.
“I knew this game was going to be tough. Playing against a league team isn’t easy, but thank God for my assistants.
"We planned for this game together, and to the glory of God, it ended in our favour.”
SQFC Media
Post a Comment