Sunshine Stars Football Club of Akure on Wednesday qualified for the semi-finals of the 2023 Ondo State Federation Cup after a 3-1 defeat of Emalex FC of Owo.
The quarter-final encounter was played at the state’s Sports Complex in Akure.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sunshine Stars Feeders had earlier in the day defeated Akure City FC 3-0 in the first quarter-final match.
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Speaking with NAN after their match, First Assistant Coach of Sunshine Stars, Akin Olowookere, said he was happy his team won the encounter.
“Federation Cup matches are always full of surprises, and this match was no different,” he said.
Olowookere said he was however sure that his team would win the competition because they have an edge in terms of pedigree.
”We thank God for the victory. It was not an easy one. The team came out to put up a good performance. This is because if they beat us it’s big news, but if we beat them it’s not a big news.
”The Federation Cup is full of surprises and it is clear how big teams are losing all over. So, anything short of victory for us was not acceptable,” he said.
Also, the Head Coach of Emalex FC, Olumuyiwa Ajala, told NAN that his team did well and he was not surprised by the result.
“Although we aimed to win the match, but it was not possible. Now, we will go back to the drawing board and work on our team’s mistakes,” he said.
NAN reports that Adamimogo FC will face Moyero FC while Zion Warriors will take on Wonder Xchange in the other quarter-final fixtures.
But Sunshine Stars FC will now face Sunshine Stars Feeders in the competition’s first semi-final encounter.
NAN
