The Successful Pillars Football club, Under-17 and Under-13 soccer teams, Saturday emerged the champions of the two categories contested for in the 3rd edition of the Victor Ikpeba Football Challenge.
In the Under-13 category, Great Stars FC, lost to Successful Pillars FC in a penalty shootout.
While, in the Under-17 class, Ichofe Wanderers Fc lost 4-2 to Successful Pillars Fc after Pillars’ striker, Edafe Uti, opened scoring in the fifth minute to go into the first lead.
Samson Ikiriko of Ichofe Wanderers levelled scores to keep the scores line at 1-1.
Eric Ogun, gave Successful Pillars Fc a second lead, when he scored the team’s second goal. The Pillars went on to lead at 3-1 and increased the lead to 4-1, before Ichofe Wanderers scored their second goal to keep the scores at 4-2 before the referee sounded the final whistle to give the Successful Pillars victory.
Successful Pillars Fc went home with the champion’s prize money of N250,000, the gold trophy and gold medals.
For finishing in second place, Ichofe Wanderers got a cash prize of N125,000, a silver trophy and silver medals.
For placing third, Lord Mark Football Academy went home with a cash prize of N100.000. Lord Mark FA, got additional N50,000 from a friend of the organising committee, Chief Ibori. Who announced a cash donation of N50,000 to Lord Mark FA for winning the third place.
For fonishing fourth place, Golden Friends got a cash consolation of N75,000.
The Under-13 category, in a big surprise got a huge support, getting a new supporter in a Dubai-based Nigerian businessman, who announced a cash donation of N500,000 for the Under-13 teams in the tournament.
The tournament sponsor, Victor Ikpeba, expressed satisfaction on the standard of the game by all the participants in the two categories, noting that, he was more elated by the display of exception skills by the players in the Under -13 category. He congratulated all the winners and promised that, all the talented players discovered in the comoetition, will be assisted in their further development in the game of football.
