Sports
NPFL: Rivers, Plateau United Continue Title Chase
Four games were decided on Monday in continuation of Match day 25 of Nigeria Professional Football League, (NPFL) encounters spread through the week.
The fixtures which commenced on Monday with three games that ended in victories for home teams had a near similar scenario on Monday from the four centres except in Kaduna.
Pick of the matches slated for Monday were the ones involving title chasing Rivers United and Plateau United where both teams recorded victories.
While Rivers had it rosy to take out Niger Tornadoes in Port Harcourt, Plateau United laboured to claim the match points against a continental hopeful, Remo Stars.
Rivers United 3-0 Niger Tornadoes
League top scorer, Ishaq Kayode put the host in front a minute after the hour mark as he finished off a through pass from Morice Chukwu with a chip over Lucky Jimoh.
Rivers doubled their lead two minutes after as Nwagua Nyima tapped in a low cross from Chijioke Akuneto following a spill by Tornadoes’ keeper in the box.
With ten minutes to end the game, substitute Konan Ruffin Ngouan made quick impact to put the icing on the cake for the leaders as he stabbed home Rivers’ third after he was released by Nelson Esor in Tornadoes’ box.
The victory meant Rivers United retained their top position on the log with 55 points after 25 league games.
Plateau United 1-0 Remo Stars
The Tin City Boys kept the chase on leaders Rivers United close following a hard earned 1-0 win over Remo Stars in Jos, thanks to second half header from Ibrahim Buhari.
The hosts could have taken the lead within the opening five minutes but Jesse Akila’s goal was chalked off for offside after the referee had spotted an infringement in the build up to the goal.
Plateau United dominated for most part of the first half but met a strong Remo Stars rear line with calculative goalkeeper in Kayode Bankole who thwarted their efforts.
Whatever Fidelis Ilechukwu told his boys in the dugout worked for them as they used it to raid Remo’s defence to earn the lone goal in the 55th minute. Free scoring defender, Ibrahim Buhari rose highest to prod home from Akila Jesse’s cross for his fourth goal of the season.
Remo rallied late in the game with moments of dominance but the host held on to secure the match points.
Plateau is still within distance to Rivers with 51 points from 25 games.
Shooting Stars 2-0 Enyimba Int’l
The Oluyole Warriors outsmarted the wobbling Elephants of Aba in Ibadan with a convincing 2-0 win to push up on the log.
Enterprising midfielder Moses Omoduemeke combined well with Lucky Moses to give Shooting Stars the lead in the 14th minute.
The goalscorer would then become the provider for the second goal with five minutes to end the first half, when he fed Emmanuel Lucky, who made a simple tap in to send the home fans into frenzy.
The second period was more of an exchange in control with Enyimba making series of incursions to stage a comeback but it was too late for the Finidi George boys as Shooting protected their first half goals.
Wikki Tourists 0-0 Heartland FC
The last match on the card for Monday ended scoreless between Wikki Tourists and Heartland FC in Kaduna.
The hosts were seeking to consolidate on their last away win at MFM but found their visitors unyielding and would remain 10th on the log.
Heartland has moved a step up on the log but still in the red zone.
Matches continued on yesterday through tomorrow before the conclusion of the Match Day 25.
The Los Angeles Lakers shrugged off their injury worries to make a winning start to the NBA play-offs.
The 18-time champions were without key players Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Maxi Kleber but 41-year-old LeBron James produced another fine display in a 107-98 win over the Houston Rockets.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks were the other winners on day one of the play-offs, while the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic won the play-in tournament to book their places.
James controlled the floor while racking up 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds against a Houston side who lost key man Kevin Durant to injury just before play started.
“It’s just our play-off mentality,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
“You can’t worry about who’s in or out of the line-up. It’s our gameplan. It’s our standards. It’s how we play, and we’ve built towards that.
“I thought our guys just responded well and met the moment. That’s the biggest thing. You’ve got to meet the moment in every game, and we were able to do that.”
Luke Kennard continued to step up as a starter with a career play-off high 27 points as the Lakers took the opening game in the best-of-seven series.
Durant, 37, has a bruised knee and could return for game two on Tuesday night.
Defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder began their campaign last night against the Suns.
Brentford missed the chance to go sixth in the Premier League with a goalless draw against visitors Fulham, their fifth consecutive stalemate in the top flight.
A win would have helped the Bees overtake Chelsea and boost their chances of qualifying for a debut European campaign but they failed to capitalise in a game of few real chances at Gtech Community Stadium.
Fulham had the majority of possession but it was Brentford who had the best of chances in a lacklustre early kick-off.
Igor Thiago, only one behind 22-goal Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race, headed wide from close range early on while Keane Lewis-Potter fired just over Bernd Leno’s goal from eight yards in the dying seconds of the first half.
Dango Ouattara, who attempted the only shot on target before the interval, failed to trouble Leno again with an effort from distance in the 58th minute.
An unmarked Mikkel Damsgaard then failed to hit the target with a first-time effort from the edge of the box after Kevin Schade played him through as frustration continued to build for Keith Andrews’ side.
Harry Wilson produced a well-timed run to get on the end of a cross in the 78th minute but dragged his shot wide in a rare opening for Fulham.
The teenager delivered a standout performance in what is regarded as one of Africa’s more competitive road cycling events, further strengthening her growing reputation as one of the sport’s most promising young riders.
The Tour du Faso, organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation, which also runs the Tour de France, has been part of the UCI Africa Tour since 2005 and is classified as a 2.2 event.
First held in 1987, it was reserved for amateurs until 1998. It is widely regarded as Africa’s biggest cycling race, a demanding ten-stage challenge that brings together European amateur riders and African local competitors in a contest often described as a blend of sporting ambition and opportunity.
Osaretin’s latest success in stage five adds to a remarkable journey that has seen her rise from humble beginnings as a wheelbarrow pusher to becoming both a Nigerian and African junior champion.
Her breakthrough on the national stage came at the 2024 National Sports Festival in May 2025, where she shocked everyone by defeating Nigeria’s first cycling Olympian Ese Ukpeseraye to win gold in the women’s 200m sprint final.
She went on to win another gold medal in the women’s road race at the inaugural African School Games in Algeria.
Her stage five victory in Burkina Faso now signals continued upward momentum as she establishes herself on the international cycling circuit and looks to build on her early success.
Kola Daniel, special assistant on media to the director general of the National Sports Commission, confirmed the development in a statement released on April 18, 2026.
4th
Falconets intensify preparations for Malawi clash
Nigeria’s U-20 women’s national team, the Falconets, have stepped up their build-up ahead of their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup final qualifying first-leg encounter against Malawi, scheduled for May 2, Tidesports source reports.
The team have been in intensive training in Abuja as they fine-tune tactics and sharpen their preparations for the decisive fixture, with coaches focusing on team organisation and match strategy ahead of the encounter.
Head coach Moses Aduku expressed confidence in his squad’s readiness, stressing that preparations had reached an advanced stage and that focus had shifted fully to tactical execution.
Aduku said the team are fully concentrated on the task ahead and believes they are well positioned to secure a positive result in the first leg.
“We have a full squad on ground and everyone is focused on the task at hand. From now, we will concentrate on team planning and tactical work. We are taking this very seriously, and I believe by the end of the match we will come out victorious,” he told NFF media.
The Falconets have maintained a positive atmosphere in camp, with high morale among the players and no reported injury concerns.
The coaching staff have also been working on integrating players from different clubs, with emphasis on building cohesion and balance within a short preparation window.
Aduku also appealed for continued support from fans, drawing parallels with previous qualifying rounds against Rwanda and Senegal, while expressing confidence that the team would secure qualification over the two legs.
“To our supporters, we plead that you pray for us as you did when we played Rwanda and Senegal in the earlier rounds. I believe Nigeria will smile with a ticket to the World Cup after the two legs against Malawi,” he added.
Nigeria reached this stage after overcoming Senegal 3-1 on aggregate in the previous round, following a 1-0 home win and a 2-1 away victory.
They had earlier defeated Rwanda 5-0 on aggregate to advance.
Their opponents, Malawi, arrive in strong form after a commanding 6-2 aggregate win over Guinea Bissau, including a 5-1 victory in Lilongwe following a 1-1 draw in the first leg away from home.
The return leg of the qualifier will be held in Lilongwe on May 9, with both sides competing for a place at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland in 2026.