Smart City were crowned champions after a pulsating 5-4 penalty shootout victory over Messiah FC in the final of the Jagaban Cup held at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Lagos, on Friday night.
Both teams searched for a winning goal all through regulation time but to no avail. The tournament’s winner had to be settled via penalty, with Smart City victorious.
Earlier, 36 Lion narrowly lost the third-place match to Ikorodu City via penalty shootouts too after both teams failed to score any goal during the regulation period.
Despite the heroics of 36 Lion goalkeeper Samuel Oriola ,who saved two of Ikorodu City’s spot kicks to take the penalties to sudden death, the latter still triumphed 3-2 after NPFL La Liga U15 Promises graduate Sulaimon Lawal blasted the decisive spot kick beyond the Lions’ goalie’s gaping hands.
It was a fantastic and thrilling end to the first edition of the Jagaban Cup, which drew over 7000 Lagosians to the Mobolaji Johnson Arena.
The tournament was organized to galvanize support for All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the frontline candidate for the 2023 Presidential Election. The tournament has delivered on Its promises and even exceeded expectations.
