Stephen Jude of Kwara United Football Club of Ilorin scored the first hat-trick of the 2020/2021 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season on Match Day 17 on Sunday.
Jude’s goals helped his team to batter struggling Adamawa United FC of Yola 5-0 in the match played at the Kwara Stadium Complex in Ilorin.
The midfielder took his tally for the season to seven goals with Sunday’s performance, and he also assisted Michael Ohanu’s two goals.
Kwara United’s coach Abdullahi Biffo made two changes to the side which lost 2-0 to Kano Pillars on Wednesday in Kaduna.
The duo of Issa Gata and Lucas Alves replaced Kamal Sikiru and Samuel Chisom in the starting line-up in the win over Adamawa United on Sunday.
Ohanu put Kwara United ahead in the sixth minute when he beat the offside trap and sent the ball past Adamawa United’s goalkeeper Friday Achimugu.
Jude failed to double the lead for Kwara United in the 17th minute when he missed an opportunity in the goal area, after Ohanu’s backheel found him unmarked.
Alves met Taiwo Salaudeen’s perfect cross but failed to direct his header directly into the Adamawa United net in the 29th minute to miss another huge chance for the homers.
Jude scored his fifth goal of the season in the 34th minute to double Kwara United’s lead.
In the 40th minute, Gata rose very high to connect Muritala Lawal’s cross but his header went inches away from goal.
The second half began with Kwara United dominating proceedings and with Nosir Afeez and Jide Fatokun punctuating every Adamawa United move.
Jude and Ohanu were a handful for Adamawa United defenders as they troubled them each time Kwara United attacked.
Jude however made it 3-0 for Kwara United in the 60th minute, his second of the match, when he shot into the root of the net Jide Fatokun’s pass.
One minute later, he was celebrating what initially looked like his hat-trick of the game.
But the centre referee disallowed the goal this time, after the assistant referee’s flag went up for offside.
In the 64th minute, Adamawa United’s first goalscoring opportunity came when Sadiq Lawan forced Kwara United’s goalkeeper Dele Aiyenugba to a double save.
Ohanu completed his brace when Jude released him in the 71st minute, applying a fantastic first touch before sending the ball to Achimugu’s far left.
Seven minutes later, Adamawa United’s Achimugu defended brilliantly to deny Ohanu when he was close to scoring an hat-trick after receiving a perfect pass from Muritala Lawal.
Jude missed another big opportunity to score again in the 79th minute as he directed a very clear-cut goalscoring chance wide.
Adamawa United’s midfielder Jamilu Danjuma had the best chance of the game for the visitors in the 81st minute when his header hit the post and went out of play.
With three minutes into injury time, Jude completed his hat-trick when he rounded the Adamawa United goalkeeper before sending a low shot into the visitors’ net.