Excitement and entertainment in abundance as Nigeria All-Stars make LaLiga World debut

The Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) All-Stars squad made their LaLiga World debut this Wednesday, 10 August. Although the Africans came away on the losing side of a 2-1 scoreline, they made a fine impression up against a Valencia CF team who were forced to wait until late on to grab the winning goal.

There was a party atmosphere in the stands for this exhibition match at the Estadio Luis Suñer Pico. The stadium was packed and it was a special occasion for all involved. Including out on the pitch, where Valencia got down to business early on, forging ahead through Alvaro Medran, who broke the deadlock with a 10 th -minute header from Jose Luis Gaya´s lovely whipped cross. With 31 minutes on the clock, another headed effort saw the All-Stars draw level, as Joseph Osadiaye nodded home from a corner.

The African outfit fought bravely to thwart the Valencia threat in the second half, but they were powerless to prevent Rodrigo from popping up to fire home the winner in the final stages. At the final whistle, LaLiga´s country manager for South Africa, Antonio Barradas, was on hand to present Medran with the Man of the Match award. Despite having claimed the goal that edged his side ahead, the Los Che midfielder was nevertheless quick to highlight the “fine football” played by their Nigerian opponents.

The next stop for the NPFL All-Stars is Cadiz, where the expedition are set to grace one of the most prestigious summer tournaments in the Spanish footballing calendar. The Nigerians will be looking to go one better when they take on Malaga CF on Friday 12 August in the Ramon de Carranza Trophy.