Tag: Naija Ratels

Naija Ratels grabbed the final ticket of the 2025 Nigeria Women’s Football League Premiership season playoff after a pulsating goalless draw at home to Bayelsa Queens who ended the regular season as the only side without a defeat.

Remo Stars Ladies thrashed visiting Dannaz Ladies 5-0 to usurp the second spot off Nasarawa Amazons who were beaten 2-1 in Owerri by Heartland Queens while Rivers Angels late fight-back before beating ambitious league debutants, Benue Queens 4-2 in Port Harcourt as the Matchday 14 and final game of the regular season were played yesterday across eight venues.

In Group A, Edo Queens comfortably beat Confluence Queens 2-0 through Precious Vincent and Emem Essien in the 29^th  and 34^th  minutes to finish the regular season with 35 points and with 11 victories from 14 games while Confluence Queens ended the season poorly with just seven points. They finished last in the group.

Also in Group A, Remo Stars Ladies displaced Nasarawa Amazons in second spot following a 5-0 scoring spree at home to Dannaz Ladies to finish the regular season with 30 points from possible 42 points.

Bolaji Olamide the season’s highest scorer with 14 goals and four assists scored two goals in the game with Kafayat Bashiru weighing in two goals too also for her ninth goal of the season and Opeyemi Sunday with the final goal.

Read Also: Women’s President Federation Cup: Naija Ratels seek scalp of Rivers Queens

Nasarawa Amazons ended the regular season in third spot with 28 points despite losing 2-1 in Owerri. Faith Samson with a brace for Heartland Queens while Kesiana Ojiyowvi reduced the tally for the visitors from Lafia. They are already through to the Super Six before the final fixtures.

In Ibadan, Ekiti Queens pipped Abia Angels 1-0 to lock the fifth spot with 14 points but Abia Angels ended in fourth spot with 23 points.

In Group B, Bayelsa Queens battled Naija Ratels to a goalless draw in Abuja to maintain their unbeaten start to the season with 34 points while Naija Ratels with the draw sealed the sixth playoff ticket.

In Port Harcourt, Rivers Angels needed to dig deep before overturning a 2-1 deficit to win 4-2 at home to Benue Queens. Benue Queens thus lost their 11th game of the season with a paltry five point but the Jewels of Rivers are second with 32 points despite twice at the end of the regular season.

FC Robo Queens pipped Delta Queens 2-1 but it was not enough for them to guarantee their Super Six place with Naija Ratels picking the remaining spot following their draw with Bayelsa Queens in Abuja. FC Robo Queens ended the campaign with 23 points but Delta Queens finished sixth with 14 points.

In the last game, Adamawa Queens thrashed Ibom Angels 3-1 to end the season in seventh spot with 12 points.

Ordinarily, Confluence Queens and Benue Queens should be relegated to the lower league- the NWFL Championship but there are unconfirmed reports stating that there may not be relegated teams this term with information revealing that there are plans to increase the numbers of teams in the topflight to provide more games and better competitiveness.

Whyte Ogbonda is not your ordinary sweat merchant. Even among his colleagues, it is widely acknowledged that the former tactician of Ibom Angels FC of Uyo knows his onions, and more.

On Saturday, Ogbonda will be gunning for his first National Cup title as head coach, having guided unfancied Ibom Angels to runners-up position in 2017 and 2018. On both occasions, they lost to Rivers Angels. The strategist has tasted victory previously, albeit as assistant coach, when Rivers Angels won the trophy in 2014.

Read Also: NFF decries undisciplined conduct of Super Eagles

 “Yes, Rivers Angels have always reached the women’s final of the Cup, and here we are again. Our target is to lift the trophy and bring it back to Rivers State, having lost the opportunity to win the league. As a team, we are indebted to Rivers State government to bring back the trophy. That is the only way we can show appreciation for the government’s huge investment in the team.”

Ogbonda insists that his girls, who include in their ranks Nigeria U20 girls’ forward Blessing Okpe and Flamingos’ forward Peace Effiong, will not underrate Naija Ratels, but will go all out to accomplish victory.

The women’s final will kick off at 1pm on Saturday at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, with the men’s final to commence at 4pm.

World Cup bronze medal-winning strategist, Bankole Olowookere, is entertaining no fear ahead of Saturday’s women’s final of the President Federation Cup against eight-time champions Rivers Angels in Lagos.

 “We thank God for taking us this far in the competition. During the league’s regular season, we did not quite meet up with our own expectations. However, our target at the beginning of the season also included doing well in the Cup, and now we are in the final.

 “For sure, we are the distinct underdogs against Rivers Angels that have won this trophy eight times before now. But no team is unbeatable. We have a plan and a strategy to emerge champions on Saturday. We want to do this for our proprietor and for our supporters who have been with us through victory and defeat, through thick and thin. I can assure you that Naija Ratels are determined to make history.”

Read Also: NFF switches President Federation Cup grand finale to Lagos 

Olowookere led the Nigeria U17 girls, Flamingos, to win the bronze medals for the first time at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in India two years ago. He has also now qualified the team for this year’s finals to be staged in the Dominican Republic.

Naija Ratels is the first club from Abuja in 24 years to reach the women’s final of the Cup. In 2000, FCT Queens lost to the same Rivers Angels in the final.