FASU Games: UNILAG, LASU football teams through to semifinals

Day 3 of the 11th All Africa University Games (FASU) saw both hosts, the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and the Lagos State University (LASU) male football teams, qualify for the semi-final of the football event.

The UNILAG team sustained its return to winning ways on Tuesday with a comfortable 2-0 win over the University of Jos team at the UNILAG sports complex.

Goals in both halves of the game gave the more resolute UNILAG team all three points. Doyin Omotosho scored in the third minute of the first half, and Samuel Olopade scored the insurance goal in the 74th minute.

After the match, UNILAG defender Chukwudi Odili said that the team would continue to grow in confidence.

“We are now getting relaxed because we are getting more confident. Our target remains unchallenged, Team UNILAG for gold,” he said.

The coach of Team Unijos, John Parlong, commended his young team, adding that the better team lost. “We are the better team today, only that Team Lagos was able to convert their chances against us.

“We can boast of one of the best squads in this competition and the youngest. The boys were assembled about two months ago.

“Most of the players are in 200 level, so they have a bright future ahead of them,” he added.

Also, on Tuesday, LASU defeated the University of Ghana team 2-1 to qualify for the semifinals.

The match was goalless in the first half as both teams worked earnestly to cancel each other out. However, it was LASU who drew the first blood following severe pressure in the 68th minute through Timilehin Jagun, who connected with a fine pass from the right wing.

This woke up the Ghanaian team, who knew full well that a loss in the game would see them crash out of the competition. They mounted pressure on LASU and got their equaliser through Ishmael Fusani in the 72nd minute of the game.

Both teams worked their socks off to cancel each other out, and countless chances kept coming their way, but LASU was more clinical, and they got the winning goal through Emmanuel Okore in the 85th minute.

LASU Head Coach Ramon Arubiewe told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that his team played according to instructions and deserved to win the match.

“It was a close contest. I give credit to the players for playing as a team and with a lot of energy and determination.

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“We move on now to the next level, which is the semifinal, and expect nothing but a much tougher opposition, but at the end we will prevail,” Arubiewe added.

The 11th All Africa University Games kicked off on 20 September and will last until 29 September, with games played at the University of Lagos and Lagos State University campuses.