3SC Cruise Past Enyimba as Rivers United Maintain Four-Point Lead in NPFL

The opening round of 2026 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) fixtures delivered a series of eye-catching results on Wednesday, headlined by Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) dismantling nine-time champions Enyimba in Ibadan.

Just over two weeks after Enyimba secured a 3–0 victory in the reverse fixture, the Oluyole Warriors produced a dominant display to claim a 3–0 win at the Lekan Salami Stadium.

Lucky Emmanuel opened the scoring in the 17th minute before Sodiq Ibrahim doubled the advantage late on. Qamar Adegoke sealed the emphatic victory in the 89th minute, a result that lifted 3SC into fourth place on the NPFL standings.

At the summit, Rivers United continued their steady title push by preserving their four-point lead despite being held to a 0–0 draw by Rangers International in Enugu. Finidi George’s side now sit on 38 points, maintaining their cushion over closest challengers Abia Warriors.

Abia Warriors missed the opportunity to close the gap after settling for a 1–1 draw at home against Plateau United at the Umuahia Township Stadium. Saka Gafar gave Plateau United an early lead before Emeka Obioma equalised to earn the hosts a share of the spoils. The match marked Gbenga Ogunbote’s return to the dugout since July 2025.

Elsewhere, Ikorodu City failed to gain ground on the top two after suffering a 1–0 defeat to Remo Stars in a fiercely contested Southwest Derby, with Haruna Hadi scoring the decisive goal shortly after the break.

In the early kickoff, El-Kanemi Warriors edged Bayelsa United thanks to a lone strike from Daddy Abdulrahman, while Barau FC secured a 2–1 victory over Niger Tornadoes, with Uche Moses and Muhammad Umar on target.

On the road, Bendel Insurance, Kano Pillars, and Warri Wolves all recorded narrow 1–0 away wins against Kwara United, Nasarawa United, and Wikki Tourists respectively. Emmanuel Akpan, Chiedozie Okorie, and Ezekiel Oroh scored the winning goals.

Matchday 20 action will conclude on Thursday as Katsina United host Kun Khalifat FC at the Sani Abacha Stadium.

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