By Edward Oseghe
Day five of the ongoing Edo State NULGE Unity Cup 2025 served up another round of thrilling grassroots football at the Ikpoba-Okha centre, with goals, drama, and unexpected walkovers shaping the tournament’s progression.
Thursday’s fixtures featured keenly contested encounters and standout individual performances across the under-18 boys and girls categories.
In the boy’s category, Igueben narrowly defeated Otou United 1–0, in the day’s opener, while hosts Ikpoba-Okha continued their impressive form with a tight 1–0 victory over Etsako. Esan West also recorded a slim 1–0 win against Orhionmwon, demonstrating tactical discipline to secure maximum points.
Elsewhere, Oredo and Etsako Central played out a tense goalless draw, while Egor and Ovia South-West shared the spoils in a 1–1 stalemate. Esan South-East delivered one of the day’s biggest wins with a commanding 3–0 triumph over Super Stars.
Walkovers affected the day’s schedule, with Etsako Central awarded a 3–0 walkover victory against Elite, and Ikpoba-Okha claiming a similar 3–0 win over Ovia North-East, who failed to turn up for their fixture.
In another boy’s fixture, Etsako West defeated Esan West 2–0 in an entertaining clash to close the day’s action.
The girls’ results at Idogbo Centre games also provided excitement and quality displays. Oredo edged Egor 1–0 in a closely fought contest, while the home team, Ikpoba-Okha, thrilled fans with a dominant 3–0 victory over Uhunmwode to strengthen their title credentials.
As the tournament advances towards the knockout stage, anticipation continues to build, with fans and stakeholders commending the competition for fostering youth development, talent discovery, and inter-local government unity through football.
Organisers have announced that the finals are scheduled for Saturday at Idogbo Secondary School in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area.
