By Zazi Bariza
Katsina United have beaten Rivers United 2-0 in a rescheduled match day 13 Nigeria Professional Football League match played this evening at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in Katsina.
The league new comers secured their victory courtesy of a goal in each half by forward Chinedu Udechukwu.
The match was played behind closed doors following the League Management Company’s sanction on the hosts for disturbances in the 2-1 win over Enyimba earlier this month.
It got off to a lively start as Chinedu Udechukwu was denied by the wood work after his long range effort in the first minute beat the Rivers United goalkeeper, Abiodun Akande.
Udechukwu was, however, luckier eight minutes later when he got to the end of Isah Abdulrahman’s cross to head into an empty net and put his team ahead.
The hosts, thereafter, continued to dominate proceedings and could have, at least, doubled the lead but poor marksmanship from their front men was their bane. At the other end, in-form striker, Godbless Asamoah came close for the visitors but was ruled offside, and Bolaji Sakin’s penalty shout two minutes before the break was turned down by the referee.
After the restart, Rivers United came close again, with Sakin failing to tap into an open goal from about two metres.
With almost an hour of football played, Tasiu Lawal came on for Nasiru Sani, and the visitors, in a bid to add width to their attack, responded by replacing the misfiring Asamoah with Daniel Israel. But it was the former’s tactical change that yielded fruits as Udechukwu was set up for his brace minutes later, to put the match beyond Rivers United.
The result moves Katsina United to 10th on the table with 25 points from 19 games, while Rivers United, having played two matches less remain 16th with 21 points.
