Hosts Ogun on Saturday in Abeokuta won the 2023 National YSFON Under-18 Boys Football Tournament for the MKO Abiola Cup.
The team scored in the fifth minute through Ariehi Kparopo to beat their Kwara counterparts 1-0 in the final match played at the MKO Abiola Stadium.
The winners, who had earlier in the competition beaten their opponents 4-0, did not have it easy however.
In spite of scoring very early to give an impression of another routing, they rather faced stiff resistance from the Kwara team who could have taken the game too.
Earlier in the day, the Edo team had beaten their Kaduna State counterparts 2-1 to win the third-place match.
At the end of the competition, Kparopo won the best scorer award after netting five goals overall, while teammate Muhyideen Olude won the best player award.
The best goalkeeper award went to Adisa Nurudeen of Kwara.
NAN reports that 12 teams, representing the country’s geo-political zones with the exception of the South-East, participated in the competition organised by the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON).
The competition’s group stage, quarter-final and semi-final matches were played at the Dipo Dina Stadium in Ijebu-Ode.
However, the final and third-place matches took place at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta.
Ex-internationals and other former footballers such as Kadiri Ikhana, Toyin Ayinla, Tajudeen Disu, Austin Popo, Biodun Odejimi and Kola Taiwo graced the finals.
