Heartland Queens suffered its first defeat of the season

Heartland Queens fell to a stunning 0-1 loss to hosts Nasarawa Amazons in Wednesday’s NWFL Premiership matchday two clash at the Lafia City Stadium in Lafia, Nasarawa state.

The keenly contested match received thunderous applause from spectators who applauded the beautiful display of football artistry by both teams.

The day’s only goal came in the added minutes of the first half off the foot of Bibiana Odoh.

The contest got fiercer in the second half as the Owerri side pressed for the much-sought-after equaliser. The pressure almost yielded the correct result in the 83rd minute when the lanky and strong-built defender, Onyedikachi Ekezie, found the back of the net through a brilliant header. Still, the centre referee chalked off the goal, thereby keeping the scoreline at 1-0 in favour of Nasarawa Amazons.

With the sore loss, Heartland Queens have dropped to the fifth position on the log while the conquerors, Nasarawa Amazons, have climbed to the top on a maximum six points.

Unfazed gaffer of the Owerri mainstreams, Obi Ogbala, however, praised his wards for good performances even though one point would have been just appropriate.

“It was a keenly contested game, my girls upped their game from the first match we played at home.

“Although the difference in a game is the scoring, who scores what at the end.

“There’s an improvement from our last game. The match was alright, and I know the intensity of the weather, the ground, and what we came here for.

“From the onset, our match plan was to pick, at least, a point in Lafia, but be that as it may, there are positives we got from the match.

“In the future, we will look at the positives and improve more on away and subsequent home matches.

“We have seen how the league is going, we are not going to underrate any side, we are just going to focus on how we will be able to actualise our dreams for the season,” said the soft-spoken gaffer to Heartland Queens Media.

The next bus stop for the Owerri landladies will be a short journey at the Enyimba Stadium in Aba for the much anticipated first-ever oriental derby against Abia Angels.