Katsina United head coach Azeez Audu Mohammed has pointed to early defensive lapses and a costly red card as the primary catalysts behind his side’s 2-0 defeat to Shooting Stars in their Matchday Five fixture of the Nigeria Professional Football League. The match swung decisively on goals from Olanrewaju Ridwan in the 18th minute and substitute Sodiq Adegoke, who sealed the victory in the 62nd minute.
Reflecting on the match after the final whistle, Audu admitted that conceding early completely altered their tactical approach and threw the team off balance. “I think that early goal destabilized us a little bit. I think that was what gave them the edge,” Audu stated, acknowledging how difficult it is to chase a game against a well-drilled opponent on the road.
Addressing the turning points of the match, the coach highlighted the red card issued to his defender, noting that the technical crew will address the miscalculation internally: “The red card and we will go and caution the defender not to tackle that way.” Despite questioning the build-up to the second goal, mentioning he needed to review whether it was offside, Audu chose to take the result in stride, declining to fault the officiating.
“It’s just a normal game that we lost, and we have to go back and plan for the next game. There is nothing I can say as far as the officiating is concerned. He is always the best man, and we just have to move ahead.” The victory propelled Shooting Stars to six points from three matches, leaving Katsina United stuck on four points.
The Changi Boys will be looking to bounce back when they host Doma United on September 27.