Abia Warriors head coach Imama Amapakabo has credited his side’s tactical discipline for their impressive 2-0 victory over Shooting Stars SC in Sunday’s Nigeria Premier Football League Matchday 29 encounter in Aba.
Striker Emeka Obioma scored in each half to secure the win, which lifted Abia Warriors to fourth position on the league table with 46 points, behind Rivers United, Rangers International and Nasarawa United.
The 27-year-old forward, who previously played for Al Bashayer and Al Majd, has now taken his tally to nine goals this season to become the club’s leading scorer.
Speaking after the match, Amapakabo explained that his side adopted a 4-4-2 formation to counter Shooting Stars’ strength in midfield.
“Every game has its own approach. I knew that one of 3SC’s strongest strengths is their midfield,” Amapakabo said.
“So we needed to create something to match what they were going to put forward.
“We also knew that we needed to put a player further forward in order to pin down their centre-backs so they could not come forward to support their attack. We knew their centre-backs sometimes stray from their positions, and it worked out for us.
“We also knew we needed to play from the wide areas. We had deliveries coming in, though sometimes we did not get it right. But we will keep working.”
The former Rangers title-winning coach expressed satisfaction with the result, which strengthens his team’s push for a top-three finish.
“Another three points in the bag. I think we still have nine games to play, which is my major priority now,” he said.
“We showed some good football today and I believe we should be able to build on this going forward.
“We created a whole lot of chances today. Like I always say, one of our biggest problems has been conversion. But we will keep working and believing that we will get lucky in the remaining nine games.”
Despite Obioma’s brace, Amapakabo admitted his side must improve their finishing, revealing that missed chances remain a concern.
“Yes, like I said, conversion has been our biggest problem. Over the week I reviewed the games we have played and the goals we have been able to score,” he said.
“Fortunately, very much unlike my team for some time, we have not scored more than two goals in a game this season.
“I told them that there is no match we have played where we did not create chances. Today could have produced a bagful of goals, but unfortunately this is what we have.
“But most importantly, the points matter. We won, and the three points matter. Kudos to the team.”
Abia Warriors will next travel to Kano to face Barau FC at the Sani Abacha Stadium in a Matchday 30 fixture this weekend.
Amapakabo believes the league campaign has entered its decisive stage and urged his players to stay focused for the remaining fixtures.
“Like I said, we have nine games remaining. For me, I like to make my players understand that the league is like a 400m race.
“Now we have entered the last 100m, which is the final nine games. So we must dig deep.
“Let us not forget that out of these nine games, five are away and four are at home.
“All these factors are being considered as I try to ensure every point counts for us. We did not do well in the 300m lap, so in the last 100m we must run straight to the finishing tape as fast and as strongly as possible.”
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