Heartland Football Club of Owerri on Wednesday in Abuja got off to a perfect start in the 2023 Federation Cup with a 2-0 defeat of Jedo FC of Sokoto.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Round of 64 match played at the Area 3 pitch was however an interesting one.
Heartland FC took charge of the match after goals by Chidebere Ajoku and Fabian Oma in the first half to underline their dominance.
The game however completely changed in the second half as Jedo FC came back looking very motivated, applying great and maximum pressure to outplay their opponents.
Jedo FC had more of the ball and took most of the shots in the second half, forcing good saves from the Heartland goalkeeper.
They were however unable to find a way through and all their attempts to score was vain.
Meanwhile, in another Round of 64 fixture, Osun United of Osogbo advanced to the next round after walking over Katsina United.
The coach of Heartland FC, Mr Christian Obi, in a post-match interview commended his players for their dominant display in the first half of their match with Jedo FC.
“The strategy we employed in the first half was okay and proved effective as the tactics saw us two goals up by the break.
“But the players weren’t able to carry out my instructions in the second half for reasons I do not know. Whether it was because of the weather, or the ground (pitch), I don’t know the reason,” he said.
Obi however commended his opponents for their second half display, saying he was happy they gave them a good fight.
“This is a good match and I will use the knowledge gained from it to make changes ahead of the team’s next match this weekend,” he said.
The former national goalkeeper however stated that no team should be ruled out of winning the competition now. “We are one of the teams who can win this Cup competition,” he said.
The coach of Jedo FC, Aminu Garba, on his part during a post-match interview lamented the fact that they were slow in warming their way into the game.
“My team is a team of young boys who are determined to get promoted to the next level of the national league.
“But I believe we started playing well too late in the game, after conceding two goals in the first half.
“However, definitely with what we did here, we have played a good game and we will use this knowledge gained here in our next league matches.”(NAN)
