The Technical Adviser of Kano Pillars FC, Usman Abdallah, orchestrated a tactical turnaround in the second half of their 2024/25 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) away clash against Lobi Stars, which ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw on Saturday, 23rd November 2024, at the Lafia City Stadium.
The Sai Masu Gida found themselves trailing 2-0 within the opening 14 minutes as Lobi Stars struck twice through Ahmadu Liman in the 7th minute and Ossy Martins in the 14th minute. The first half ended with Pillars in a precarious position, desperately needing inspiration.
In the second half, Usman Abdallah, a former Super Eagles Assistant Coach, made a bold tactical move. He introduced Ghanaian defender Rasheed Alasan in place of Ibrahim Inuwa to solidify the defense and brought on Mustapha Umar for Auwalu Ali Malam to inject fresh attacking impetus.
The impact of these substitutions became evident as the game progressed. In the 59th minute, Abdallah made further changes, handing Umar Sani Yakasai his competitive NPFL debut for the Sai Masu Gida by replacing Yusuf Bala Maigoro, while Bright Emmanuel came on for Shehu Abdullahi.
In the 70th minute, Ahmed Musa had a chance to narrow the deficit, but his header from Fahad Usman’s free kick sailed off target. However, the breakthrough came in the 76th minute when Rabiu Ali unleashed a stunning 45-yard free kick that left Lobi Stars goalkeeper Orya Joseph helpless. The goal marked Rabiu Ali’s 8th of the season and his 126th in the NPFL, further cementing his status as the league’s all-time top scorer.
Just a minute later, in the 77th minute, Mustapha Umar leveled the scores. Ahmed Musa’s powerful shot was parried by the goalkeeper, but Umar pounced on the rebound to score his second goal of the season.
During the post-match press conference, an animated Usman Abdallah praised his players’ resilience, particularly in the second half, but emphasized the need to address defensive lapses.
“We cannot continue this way. Together with my assistants, we will sit down and find ways to address this issue. We have been the highest-scoring team in the league, so there is no reason why we should keep conceding silly goals. It’s unacceptable, and everyone must take responsibility from now on.
“We definitely need to sort it out defensively when the time comes it’s very important if we must be a team to reckon with we must do the needful as a team.”
Coach Usman Abdallah won the NPFL title with Enyimba fc and played in the knockout stage of the CAF confederation cup as a coach is looking forward to return back Kano pillars fc back to the glory days.
The result leaves the Pyramid City side in 6th position on the log with 19 points, four points adrift of league leaders Remo Stars, who have a game in hand.
Kano Pillars FC will not be in action during Match Day 14, as their home fixture against Enyimba International at the Sani Abacha Stadium has been postponed due to Enyimba’s participation in CAF Club Competitions.
