Kano Pillars technical adviser Daniel Ogunmodede has praised his players for executing their game plan as they ended Doma United’s perfect start to the Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, season with a convincing 4-1 victory, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
The Sai Masu Gida produced an impressive display at the Sani Abacha Stadium on Sunday to hand Doma United their first defeat of the campaign after the visitors had won their opening three matches without conceding a goal.
Abdullahi Musa put Kano Pillars ahead in the 20th minute before Rabiu Ali missed the chance to extend the lead nine minutes later.
The experienced midfielder sent his penalty over the crossbar after Ahmed Musa was brought down inside the box.
Ali quickly recovered, however, scoring in the 33rd minute to restore Kano Pillars’ two-goal advantage.
Doma United responded strongly after the break and pulled one back through Sadiq Rilwan in the 53rd minute, raising hopes of a comeback.
Kano Pillars refused to allow the visitors to build momentum, with Ahmed Musa adding a third before Nasiru Salihu completed the scoring to secure a comprehensive victory.
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Ogunmodede admitted that he had anticipated a difficult test against a Doma United side that had made an excellent start to the season.
“We expected a tough game because they had gone three matches unbeaten with nine points and had never conceded, but we prepared very well for them,” Ogunmodede told the club’s media.
“Not playing last weekend gave us ample opportunity to prepare more for them, and no doubt, you could see they gave us a tough time.”
The Kano Pillars coach also revealed how his side reacted tactically after Doma United reduced the deficit early in the second half.
“We played to our strength. We tried to get two goals in the first half. The goal we conceded after the second half created a lot of pressure for us, which was why we brought in fresh faces in midfield and attack to stop their centre-backs from taking the ball forward,” he added.
The victory moved Kano Pillars onto seven points from four matches, while Doma United remained on nine points despite suffering their first defeat of the season.