Abia Warriors Head Coach, Imama Amapakabo, says that his side will approach each of their two remaining games in the 2024/2025 NPFL season as a cup final, in a bold effort to realise their first-ever CAF interclub competition ambition for next season, Completesports.com reports.
Abia Warriors currently sit third in the Premier League table with 57 points and will need to avoid defeat in their final two fixtures—against El-Kanemi Warriors (in Umuahia) and Ikorodu City at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos—to secure a top-three finish.
Amapakabo, a former Nigeria junior international who won the 2015/2016 NPFL title with Rangers, previously had a managerial stint with Rwandan club Etoile de l’Est.
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The 55-year-old tactician spoke after Abia Warriors were held to a 1–1 draw by Niger Tornadoes in a matchday 36 encounter at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna, on Wednesday, 7 May 2025.
Asked whether the result was capable of stabilising his team’s push for a possible second or third-place finish—positions that could guarantee continental football next season—Amapakabo reiterated his team’s focus on taking each of the remaining matches as cup finals.
“NPFL is the only league in the world where all 20 teams dream of continental tickets. It doesn’t happen anywhere else,” Amapakabo said in a philosophical tone.
“When we started, nobody gave us a chance. But here we are with two games to go. Like I always say, every game is like a cup final for us. We’ll go home and play El-Kanemi Warriors.
“Thereafter, we’ll face Ikorodu City, which is our final game, and Abia Warriors are still in the mix. So, let’s see how it goes. We’ll continue to dig in and believe we can get the best possible result.
“I always tell my players—keep your heads up, run as fast as you can, and forget every other distraction.”
Abia Warriors absorbed relentless pressure from the hosts in the first half of Wednesday’s nail-biting contest on the bumpy surface of the Ahmadu Bello Stadium.
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Mohammed Husaini gave Niger Tornadoes the lead five minutes after the interval. But just when it seemed the game had slipped away, Emmanuel Iwu struck three minutes into stoppage time to earn a crucial point for the visitors.
Reflecting on the match, Amapakabo described the equaliser as a “miracle goal.”
“First and foremost, I’ll say congratulations to the team. The first half was tough. We played against a side that was very direct and lacked any clear tactical formation from which we could make deductions,” he noted.
“They kept floating balls in, and we struggled to deal with second balls. The pitch’s bumpy nature also posed a challenge, and they had the advantage in the first half.
“We had to regroup in the second half and told ourselves that even if we were to lose, we should at least enjoy the game a bit. So we kept the ball better, and thankfully, we got a miraculous goal at the nick of time.
“It was wonderful to come away with a result.”
By Sab Osuji
