Grassroot: Incredible Come-Back As Gbagada Held Magboro FC To A 4-4 Draw

Grassroot: Incredible Come-Back As Gbagada Held Magboro FC To A 4-4 Draw By Omolagba Oluwayemi Football indeed they say is a game of two-halves and that was exactly what we witnessed at the grassroot level as Gbadaga Pro FC put up a classic performance to overturn a 3-goal first half deficit for a 4-4 full time scores, BSNSports.com.ng reports. In the match played at the MFM FC football pitch, Prayer City, Ona Jonah Gabriel, Wasiu Hamsat and Sanusi Oyindamola (Lukaku) gave the home team (Magboro FC) a 3-0 lead going into the break. [caption id="attachment_51090" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] Magboro FC starting 11 vs Gbagada Pro FC in a thrilling game that ended in a 4-4 draw[/caption] Many thoughts it'll be an easy ride for Magboro FC haven dominated the game but an incredible five man substitute in the second half changed the course of the game. Fagbayi Semiu pulled one back for Gbagada Pro early in the second half before an incredible goal from Ayinde Abiola put the game within the reach of Gbagada Pro FC. Magboro FC virtually had no answers to the questions thrown at them in the second half by the dominant force of Gbadaga Pro FC with their goal-keeper called into actions on several occasions and the defenders making unpardonable errors. But with the scores at 3-2, a rare breakthrough in the second half from Magboro FC restored their 2-goals lead (4-2), Wasiu Hamsat the scorer with his brace of the morning but even with the lead, the Gbagada force didn't relent and their hard work soon paid off as Fagbayi Semiu scored his second of the day to make it 4-3. And when the game was approaching it's end, another incredible goal from Ayinde Abiola, this time a free-kick from about the mid-field levelled things for Gbadaga Pro FC with the home fans caught in awe. [caption id="attachment_51093" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] Gbagada Pro FC starting 11 vs Magboro FC in a thrilling game that ended in a 4-4 draw[/caption] Speaking to BSNSports.com.ng after the game, man of the match, Ayinde Abiola who is also a player of M-22 Osodi said: "I feel so bad seeing my team go down 3-0 in the first half although I was on the bench." "Looking at the angles of the field from the bench, I discovered their captain, Victor Kadiri Murphy was the playmaker, dictating the pace of the game and I knew if I could stop him from playing when I get onto the pitch, they won't be able to create chances and that was exactly what I did when I got on. I made sure he didn't play, looking for him all over the field and their team got destabilised in the second half." How did you feel scoring those two beautiful goals "I feel so happy. This year from January till date, this is my best match because have not scored in a match since January so when I scored the first goal I believe I could score more so I kept trying and when the free-kick came, I had to beg my teammate for the opportunity to play it which I scored to end the game at 4-4." Speaking as well from Gbagada Pro FC is the captain of the side Damilare Onashokun (Pocket Pass) who is also the founder of Gbagada Pro FC. How did you come about this team, Gbagada Pro FC "Well, I play for the very popular Gbagada FC. At the end of the season, I called few of my friends who are professionals playing in different parts of the country but living in Gbadaga that we should start Gbadaga Pro FC, with the intentions of playing against top teams so as to enable us stay fit until the new season starts. What did you say to your colleagues in the dressing room that gave them the believe they can comeback from 3-goals down "I wasn't surprised about the comeback because we have players playing high level of football on the bench so when we conceded the 3-goals, I only had to make those changes which gave us a great result away from home. "I'm happy with the draw because from 3-0 to 4-4 wasn't easy especially when you're playing away but I give kudos to the guys that played the second half." Ona Jonah Gabriel, who had an outstanding game for Magboro FC said he wasn't happy with the way things turned out at the end after going 3 nil up into the break. "I feel so worried, I'm not happy at all because we lost a lot of scoring chances especially in the first half but it's part of the game, we need to move on and look forward to the next game. Scored a goal and provided an assist, Ona believed his side lost concentration especially after going 4-2 up and that cost them the game. He also said his team will win the second leg despite going away. And also speaking is Dipeolu Adewale, the defender who had a good first half for Magboro FC before sustaining a back injury which limited his contribution to the defensive solidity of his team in the second half. "It was a nice game for me. In game of football, things like this happen. We played our best in the first half but a lot of challenges from the losing side in the second half which we couldn't find answers to, but all in all, it was a good game." Before the back injury, Adewale was involved in almost every ball that came the way of Magboro FC's defense in the first half but his tempo dropped afterwards. "The first half I gave my best but the collision that resulted in the injury for me reduced my tempo in the second half although I should have been substituted but lack of defenders on the bench made me see the game to the end." Adewale concluded by saying his team will fight back in the second leg to get the desired result. Finally speaking is the captain of Magboro FC, Victor Murphy Kadiri. What really happened in the game "Let's thank God for everything because we played against a better side and in the way round, we lost concentration in the middle of the game believing we've won already, forgetting it's a game of football where anything can happen. "We've seen our lapses in this game and we'll go work on them before the second leg. Ayinde stopped you from dictating the pace of the game in the second half, what do you have to say to that "Well, he actually did well keeping off the game. My teammates could not take the responsibility upon themselves haven noticed the situation with Ayinde. "From his introduction, I knew he was coming at me and I tried my best to always take him out of the way but my colleagues as well were all depending on me which really made things difficult in the second half," he concluded. Gbagada Pro FC will host Magboro FC in the reverse fixture at a later date.