Former champions Sunshine Stars faced a reality check with a surprising 0-2 defeat to FC Ebedei in the final MatchDay 1 fixture of the 2025 Gold Cup pre-season tournament.
Two first-half goals secured the victory for the Oliseh Boys, with Joseph Okuaghaare scoring from open play and Kennedy John converting a penalty. This marked a significant achievement for FC Ebedei, as it was the first time they had earned three points from their opening fixture in the last 12 editions of the tournament.
The match began with an early strike from Okuaghaare in the 5th minute, which rattled the Sunshine Stars squad. It was sublime from the lad.
Things took a turn for the worse for Sunshine Stars when Chinoso Okonkwo received a straight red card 12 minutes later due to a reckless tackle inside his own box.
This marked the first red card of the 13th edition of the tournament.
Kennedy John capitalized on the opportunity, confidently dispatching the penalty into the bottom corner of the goal.
Despite being reduced to 10 players, Sunshine Stars fought hard but were unable to break through the resilient defence of the Oliseh Boys, who sit atop the group and have leapfrogged Sporting Lagos into second place based on goal difference.
In another match featuring NNL teams, Stormers SC did their best to overcome Ekiti United, but the two teams ended up sharing the spoils in a tense fixture.
Crown FC comfortably secured the top position in Group B after a solid 2-0 victory over Seamoriowo FC of Lagos.
