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The Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL, kicked off its 2023 Super 6 playoffs at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos on Saturday.
Six of the best teams in the NPFL locked horns against each other on the opening day and will do so for the next four match days.
A total of five goals were scored across three matches for an average of over 1.6 goals per match.
Enyimba vs Remo Stars was the match of the day and produced the best viewing after a four-goal thriller.
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22:36 - 03.06.2023
NPFL Super 6: Champions Rivers United off to a winning start, Enyimba, Remo Stars deliver thriller
Rivers United’s quest to retain their NPFL title received a huge boost on the opening day of the NPFL Super 6.
But what else did we observe from the games at the NPFL Super 6? Here are five (5) takeaways from Onikan.
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Boring first half across the board
With the calibre of teams that qualified for the end-of-the-season playoffs, fireworks were expected and predicted before the Super 6 got underway.
Right-time champions Enyimba International and new kid of the bloc, Remo Stars, opened proceedings at the 2023 Super 6.
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However, in what looked like a planned performance from all the teams, the first half of the games left a lot to be desired.
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14:24 - 03.06.2023
Super Eagles coach storms Lagos for NPFL Super 6
The NPFL Super 6 championship play-off kicked off on Saturday at the Mobolaji Jhonson Arena in Onikan, Lagos.
All three matches played on Saturday started boring, dull and uninspiring, with the games goalless at the break.
Enyimba and Remo deliver in NPFL Super 6 opener
After an uninspiring opening 45 minutes which saw the ball spend a lot of time in the air, the game of the day finally lived up to its pre-match hype.
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Enyimba and Remo Stars came out smoking in the second half en route to a pulsating four-goal thriller to get things off to a brilliant start.
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06:52 - 03.06.2023
Rivers United vs Sunshine Stars: Time and Where to Watch the holders look to avoid potential banana peel
NPFL champions Rivers United got the easiest draw on the opening day of the Super 6 but must be careful as Sunshine Stars have all the tools to spoilers.
The People’s Elephant took the lead twice while the Sky Blues came back twice to force a share of the spoils.
VAR is needed in the NPFL
There were so many controversial moments on the opening day of the Super 6 that called for the use of the Video Assistant Referee, VAR.
This was particularly the case in the tournament’s opener between Enyimba and Remo Stars.
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While Enyimba’s opener was brilliantly scored by Adiele Eriugo, the other four goals scored on matchday one were controversial.
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22:58 - 02.06.2023
'We want to qualify for the CAF Champions League' Remo Stars' Ogunmodede says
Remo Stars will participate in the NPFL Super 6 playoff alongside five other league heavyweights.
Remo Stars’ equaliser came courtesy of super-sub, Junior Lokosa before Emeka Obioma restored the lead for the Aba side via the spot.
Video replays have shown that the incident happened outside the box, with Lokosa involved again as his soft foul around the box led to that delicious free kick by Nduka Junior.
Also, Rivers United’s late penalty against Sunshine Stars in the second game has been described in some quarters as “soft”.
All these decisions could have been remedied with the help of the VAR.
Daniel Ogunmodede's blunder
While the Remo Stars manager stole the show with his threatrics in the dugout, his substitutions caught my eye.
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The first half was characterised by the head-to-head duel between Remo defender Ifeanyi Anaemena and Enyimba forward, Emeka Obioma.
The defender was a wall at the back as he put in a solid defensive performance and handled Obioma superbly.
He was solid in his tackles and won almost every battle in the air as he kept the NPFL top scorer quiet for 45 minutes.
However, coach Ogunmodede switched from a back three to a back four moments into the second half with Anaemena making way for Adams Olamilekan.
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10:33 - 18.04.2023
Enyimba will not relent, Finidi George says as NPFL regular season approaches end
The People's Elephants will on week 15 of the 2023 NPFL season return to their Enyimba Stadium in Aba to take on Remo Stars, in a make-or-break fixture in Group A.
It was a tactical switch by the manager who wanted to inject some attacking bite, which Olamilekan did offer when he came on but that decision came to haunt the Sky Blues at the back.
Moments after the giant centre-back left the pitch, Remo Stars found themselves under siege as Obioma began to find space and eventually created the first big chance of the game for his side before he assisted the opener by Adiele.
Give Ogunmodede his flowers
If Anaemena’s substitution was a mistake by the coach, then, he deserves his flowers for how he reacted when Remo went behind.
He reacted to going behind with former Kano Pillars man, Junior Lokosa, coming on for Andy Okpe.
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18:26 - 02.06.2023
Enyimba, Remo Stars to Kick off NPFL Super 6 in Lagos
IMC holds the draw for the Super Six playoff championships on Friday in Lagos.
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The impact was immediate as Lokosa proved to be the ultimate centre forward with a typical poach’s goal to level the scores.
While Enyimba’s lead was restored two minutes later, it was Lokosa who won the foul in the danger zone, leading to that beautiful second equaliser via a free kick by Remo captain Nduka Junior.
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