NPFL: Amuneke Celebrates Heartland’s First Away Win, Amokachi Laments

Heartland’s head coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, expressed high spirits following his team’s impressive 2-0 victory against Abia Warriors.

Heartland’s win over Abia Warriors is the Owerri club’s first away win in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) this season.

The match commenced with Heartland taking an early lead when Michael Ogu found the back of the net just 12 minutes into the game. Ogu’s goal set the tone for what would be a hard-fought contest.

As the match progressed, the Naze Millionaires continued to press and create opportunities, ultimately culminating in a dramatic 95th-minute goal from Chukwuma Agor, which secured their triumph and allowed his team to leave the stadium in celebration.

In his post-match interview, Amuneke said, “I can say I’m happy; we came here to win, and at the end of the day, we achieved our goal.”

He went on to say that securing this victory was not only exhilarating but also a realization of aspirations for the team.

However, Amuneke hailed the Abia Warriors, acknowledging the challenge they presented, saying: “It’s important to recognize the Abia Warriors team; they played good football and gave us a lot of problems, especially in the first half. But thankfully, we managed the situation well.”

Meanwhile, Lobi Stars’ technical adviser, Daniel Amokachi, described his team’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Remo Stars as an unfortunate setback.

The match took place at the Remo Stars Stadium on Sunday, where a solitary goal from Michael Ibe was enough to separate the two sides. Despite the loss, Amokachi took a moment to commend his players for their efforts, highlighting their growing adaptation to his coaching philosophy.

Amokachi explained the tactical decisions he made for the match, noting, “We played a 4-5-1 formation away from home, and it suits us very well. When employing this formation, maintaining complete focus is crucial; it requires being 120% alert. A moment of distraction can lead to being punished, as we experienced today.”