Olayinka Yusuf was the hero for 10-man MFM FC of Lagos as they secured their first victory at the ongoing Governor Wike Pre-Season Championships at the Sharks Stadium in Port Harcourt.
MFM defeated Bayelsa United 1-0 to make it four points from two matches after they were forced to a 2-2 draw against Goddosky FC on Saturday.
Yusuf pounced on a through pass from Udor Godwin to sidefoot home in the 13th minute of the game after Bayelsa had lost a penalty to put the Lagos-based side ahead.
However for the second game running, MFM collected a red card in the second half of the game as Alimi Adebayo was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Despite playing with a man down, MFM continued to pill up the pressure and they were able to repel all efforts by their Nigeria National League counterpart.
Speaking after the game, MFM Coach, Tony Bulus, said despite losing so many players during the transfer window, the technical crew are working so hard to get a good team for the new campaign.
“It has become a tradition here at MFM for other clubs to poach our players at the end of every campaign, but we are working hard to get new team that will perform well in the new season,” the coach said.
“I am happy with the win but the truth is we are still far away from the team we are targeting for the new campaign, hopefully at the end of this glamorous preseason, we will get closer to our goal.”
Meanwhile, the second game was a delight to watch as Ndala FC secured a 2-1 win against Goddosky FC despite playing with 10-man as the captain of the team was given the marching order as early as the first half of the game.
The competition continues today with four matches.
Udala FC will take on Abia Warriors in the first match of the day while it will be a battle between Ottasollo FC against Cynosure FC in the second match.
Bayelsa United will trade tackles against Goddosky later in the afternoon while the host team Rivers United will hope to secure their first win of the competition when they take on Akwa United in the final game of the day.
