Sporting Lagos put up a stellar performance at the Awka City Stadium on Sunday June 8 in their final 2025 Nigeria National League (NNL) fixture against Solution FC. However, they returned home disappointed with a draw in a match where only an outright victory would have secured one of the promotion play-off spots, otherwise known as the NNL Super 8.
Sporting Lagos have completed a 20-game season run while others have a game in hand. They’ve finished third position in the NNL Conference B table behind Kun Khalifa and Osun United.
Despite a hat-trick from Aliu Baba—scoring in the 29th, 64th, and 90+3 minutes—Solution FC clawed back with goals from Chukwuemeka Oyieke (52’), Valentine Ugwu (57’), and Divine Victor (90+4’), denying Sporting Lagos the crucial win.
Also Read: NNL: Baba’s Hat-Trick Not Enough As Ambitious Sporting Lagos Draw With Solution FC In Awka Thriller
In this exclusive interview with Completesports.com‘s correspondent, CHIGOZIE CHUKWULETA, Sporting Lagos Head Coach Shola Adegun, who found little consolation in the dramatic 3–3 result, speaks about the experience in Awka, the 2025 NNL campaign, and the emerging positives from competing among multiple Lagos-based clubs.
Excerpts…
Completesports.com: How would you describe the match against Solution FC, where victory slipped from your grasp in the dying seconds?
Adegun: It’s a painful one—we were really close. To lose it right at the end is heartbreaking and difficult to comprehend, honestly. Especially when you score a goal in injury time and still don’t win… it’s a tough way to end the season for us. That’s just the truth.
You describe it as a loss, although technically it was a draw. If this were a mid-season result, it might have been considered a valuable point. Still, let’s talk about the positives. What would you take away from this match and the entire 2024/2025 NNL season?
From this particular match, it’s hard to pick out any real positives. We needed three miracles. Results from Saturday’s other matches involving teams competing for the play-offs actually went in our favour. All we needed was a win today [Sunday] against Solution FC to stay in contention and hope the final day results went our way. We came very, very close, and it leaves a heavy feeling of regret. This wasn’t mid-season—it was the end. And that’s what makes it hurt more.
Your thoughts on hat-trick hero Aliu Baba, and the substitutions you made while trailing 1–2?
Aliu Baba did very well. That’s perhaps the one real positive we can take from the match—his performance was outstanding. Scoring three goals and also contributing defensively says a lot about his commitment. The substitutions we made were tactical—to inject energy and add a new dimension to our play. We got what we thought was the goal to seal it, but unfortunately, it didn’t prove to be enough.
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The 2025 season has effectively ended for your team, even though one match remains. What lessons will you take from this campaign?
Honestly, we need to reflect deeply—to identify where we made mistakes and how we can improve next season. Right now, the emotions are still raw, so I can’t say exactly what our next steps will be. That’s something we’ll assess when we’re in a better mental space.
Lagos had four teams in the league—Sporting Lagos, Madiba FC, First Bank FC, and InterLagos. What’s your take on that?
There are even more teams around. So naturally, there’s a strong internal rivalry among us. Everyone wants to outperform the rest. That creates healthy competition and keeps us alert. It motivates us to stay focused and maintain the right level of concentration throughout the season.
