Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan began their 2026/27 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) campaign on a winning note, edging newly promoted Inter Lagos 2-1 in an entertaining Southwest derby at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, Trybal News reports.
The Oluyole Warriors produced a determined performance in front of a large home crowd, who turned out in numbers to back their team in the opening fixture of the new season.
Shooting Stars made a bright start and took the lead in the 15th minute through Lucky Emmanuel, who fired a powerful effort from inside the six-yard box to give the hosts an early advantage.
The visitors responded almost immediately. Tosin Oshomo was booked in the 20th minute before Inter Lagos restored parity just two minutes later through Uchenna Njoku.
Njoku took advantage of an error by Shooting Stars captain Gbolagade Adelowo, converting a pass from teammate Iyede Kewe to bring the newly promoted side level at 1-1.
With the game opening up, Shooting Stars continued to threaten and forced Inter Lagos goalkeeper Favour Bala into a series of important saves.
Bala produced an excellent stop in the 29th minute to deny Jobi from close range before once again relying on his reflexes to keep out another attempt from Lucky Emmanuel in the 39th minute.
The hosts eventually regained the lead in first-half stoppage time after Jamiu Arowolo was adjudged to have fouled Lucky Emmanuel inside the penalty area.
Sodiq Ibrahim took responsibility from the spot and calmly converted the resulting penalty in the 46th minute, restoring Shooting Stars’ advantage and sending the Oluyole Warriors into the break with a 2-1 lead.
The second half proved considerably more cagey, with both sides struggling to create clear-cut opportunities as the intensity of the derby gave way to a more cautious approach.
Shooting Stars had an opportunity to put the game beyond Inter Lagos when they were awarded another penalty, but the home side failed to convert the second spot-kick.
That miss gave the visitors renewed hope of finding a late equaliser, but Shooting Stars remained resolute and successfully protected their advantage until the final whistle.
The victory hands Shooting Stars the early bragging rights in the Southwest rivalry and gives the Ibadan side three valuable points from their opening fixture.
For Inter Lagos, the defeat marks a difficult introduction to life in the NPFL following their promotion last season. Despite showing character to recover from an early deficit and level the game, the newcomers were ultimately unable to hold on to the point.
Shooting Stars will now turn their attention to continental football as they prepare for their CAF Confederation Cup assignment against Tunisian club CS Sfaxien in Abeokuta next Saturday. The Oluyole Warriors will hope their winning start to the domestic campaign provides momentum ahead of the important encounter.
Inter Lagos, meanwhile, will return home for their next NPFL fixture, where they are scheduled to face Doma United. The newly promoted side will be looking to bounce back immediately and secure their first points of the campaign.
