At about a quarter to 3 PM on the sunny Saturday afternoon of September 27, defending champions SFA kicked off against Clippers FC. Still searching for their first outright win of the tournament, the holders were intent on stamping their title credentials after only scraping through on penalties in their last outing. In the first half, SFA dominated possession for large spells, making the Clippers resort to playing on the counter. Both teams had good chances to take the lead early on—but Clippers forwards in particular could only muster tame shots straight at the keeper. Undeterred, SFA stuck to their possession style and won a corner after a nice passage of play. The deadlock would be broken by SFA number 9, Korede, who fired in from the corner. Minutes later, Korede was at it again, grabbing his second of the game after reacting quickest to another set piece, as the Clippers failed to deal with another ball into the box. The referee’s whistle went for half-time, and it was 2-0 to SFA.
Nineteen minutes after 3, we were back pitchside for the second half. SFA had the first pop at goal, hitting a free kick straight into the wall before Clippers FC responded with more urgency. A Clippers forward skipped past three defenders in style, but again, the finish was weak and straight into the keeper’s waiting arms. Immediately after, the Clippers were made to pay for not taking their chance after Agbowo’s well-taken goal made it 3-0. Clippers, though, refused to give up, and a nice passage of play of their own saw their forward brought down in the box. Justice calmly converted the resulting penalty to spark a glimmer of hope that was quickly quelled when, immediately after the restart, SFA nearly grabbed a fourth—only to be denied by the Clippers keeper.
In the end, it is SFA who run out 3-1 winners, and in doing so book their place in the semi-finals. A reminder that the champions are still very much here, still calm and still dangerous.
Next up, last year’s finalists TomTom, no doubt eager to take another step closer to glory, had to navigate a tie against a tricky Blaze FC side. TomTom had the first big chance come from a free kick, but it was well held by the Blaze goalkeeper. They didn’t have to wait long, though—as Akinpade, who had kept the Blaze defense on their toes all game, coolly rounded the keeper before firing into the empty net. TomTom remained in control even after the goal, but couldn’t find the killer goal they sought to put the game to bed. Halftime came at 4.28 PM with TomTom leading 1-0.
The second half was more of the same— TomTom retained control for the most part. It looked like simple game management now, even with a few nervy moments: a missed clearance here, a slip there—but they went unpunished. But 5 minutes from time, they would finally rue not clearing their lines more decisively, as Bukunmi’s missed clearance meant Emmanuel had all the time in the world to power it past the helpless TomTom goalkeeper. Suddenly, it was anyone’s game. A final stop from the Blaze goalkeeper made sure the tie would be settled from 12 yards.
Penalties beckoned, and the tension was palpable. TomTom had an early scare when UI’SU Sports Secretary VK missed from the spot, but ultimately redemption came from Bukunmi, who buried the decisive penalty to ensure the thrilling penalty shoot-out finished 7-6 to TomTom. It was heartbreak for Blaze, who fought with grit until the very end, but TomTom’s resilience carried them through. The finalists live to fight another day, though the warning is clear: in knockout football, chances spurned can always come back to bite.