The ongoing 40th edition of the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON) Ramat Cup in Lafia, Nasarawa State, witnessed another day of exciting youth football as teams battled for supremacy in the group stage.
Host state Nasarawa delighted the home crowd with a resounding 5–1 victory over Plateau State, putting on an attacking masterclass that kept fans on their feet from start to finish.
The win boosts Nasarawa’s chances of progressing to the knock-out stage, and sends a strong message to other contenders.
In other matches, Kwara State defeated Sokoto 2–0 in a disciplined performance, while Gombe State cruised past the Federal Capital Territory FCT 3–0 with a commanding display. Bauchi State also secured maximum points with a solid 2–0 win over Kebbi.
In Group A, Kwara is leading with six points after two wins, and will play Plateau from 9.00am tomorrow. Plateau have same three points with host Nasarawa after two matches, meaning that Nasarawa must beat Sokoto tomorrow, or have Kwara triumph over Plateau. Nasarawa will square up against Sokoto from 10.00am.
Gombe has three points in Group B, while FCT and Benue have one each. Gombe will take the centre stage against Benue tomorrow from 11.00am, and the result will determine which two to scale through, even though Gombe has edge.
Both Bauchi and Ondo have three points each in Group C, while Kebbi didn’t win any match after two matches. Bauchi will play Ondo tomorrow from 12.noon, only for placement, as Kebbi has already exited the competition.
The last group, Group D looks unpredictable, after just one matches played by the four teams. Borno have three points, while Kaduna and Enugu have one each. Zamfara recorded no point so far.
Kaduna will play Borno from 1.00pm, while Enugu will tackle Zamfara from 11.00am. The last two matches in the group comes up on Wednesday.
The competition, held in honour of the late Head of State, General Murtala Ramat Mohammed, has brought together U16 boys’ teams from across the federation, creating a platform for budding footballers to showcase their skills and catch the eyes of national youth coaches.
