By Daily Sports on December 20, 2018
Ine Stars have won the IB Champions Cup competition for top grassroots football clubs.
In a pulsating final match played at the Crescent Sports Complex in Benin City, Edo State, on Wednesday morning (December19, 2018) Ine Stars held their nerves to triumph over Eagles Wings FC on penalties after regulation time ended one goal apiece.
For Ine Stars, winning the tournament is a solid psychological boost as it gives the club bragging rights in the grassroots football environment.
The match featured the best of grassroots football and mirrored the quality of football witnessed at the tournament as a whole.
The two finalists played high tempo football, with technically very gifted players on parade.
It was a final that lived up to its billing, with the tension spreading from the players in the pitch onto the coaches, reserve players and fans of both clubs who both have the Crescent Sports Complex as their training ground.
Both sides had met earlier in the group stage of the competition and played out a scoreless draw.
Fighting to a stalemate in regulation time again in the final showed that there's really not much difference in the quality of both clubs.
Ine Stars is a club with a solid history of winning trophies in the Edo state football landscape. The club has won a number of Edo State League titles (a competition for amateur clubs) and in 2016 they stunned Nigerian football followers by winning the Edo State FA Cup, defeating Nigerian Professional Division One side Dynamite Force 3-0 in the final match played at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City.
The Ine vs Eagles Wings final was watched by thousands and some top football personalities, including the Technical Adviser of pro 1 side Bendel Insurance of Benin, Monday Origin, Ricky Aburime and top football intermediary Darlington Ogbeifun.
Ine Stars went home with the N150,000 prize money for winners while Eagles Wings got N75,000 for placing second.
The tournament was sponsored by sports philanthropist Idahosa Benjamin to spice up the festive period in Benin City and provide entertainment as well as opportunities for players to strut their stuff in the eyes of players’ managers.

•Photo shows Ine Stars Captain Sunday Anyanwu receiving the IB Champions trophy from tournament sponsor Idahosa Benjamin at the Crescent Sports Complex in Benin City.
Source Daily Sports
Posted December 20, 2018
You may also like...
Birmingham beats Liverpool to lead England bid for...
PSG Holds Meeting On Mbappe’s Future
Manchester United Set To Battle Liverpool Today In...
Real Madrid prepares for Club World Cup in...
Enyimba overpower Nasarawa Utd., move into top half...
Man Utd To Introduce Covid-19 Certification Checks At...

Warren likens Itauma to Messi, Woods
D’Tigers fall 78-62 against Cameroon in W’Cup qualifiers
Gusau resignation: N12bn NFF intervention fund probe ongoing, says EFCC
NFF election process suspended, Ikpeme takes over as interim boss
Hockey excluded from 23rd National Sports Festival
Amusan makes Diamond League return in Zurich
AFN cautions athletes over risky scholarship deals
NPFL: Rangers pick Abeokuta as temporary home ground
Ex-Nigeria squash No.1 Olubo completes transcontinental adventure
FG Inaugurates Multi-purpose Sports Complex In Anambra
‘Osimhen can end Man United’s woes’
Soludo Backs Iloenyosi For NFF South-East Eeat, Says Region Deserves A Stronger Voice
Rangers International going, going . . . (64,054 views)
Amaju Pinnick: A cat with nine lives (55,410 views)
Second Term: Amaju Pinnick, Other NFF Heavyweights Home to Roost •How Pinnick Broke the Jinx (53,297 views)
Current issues in Nigerian sports: Matters arising (52,900 views)
Sports Development: Zenith Bank on the zenith (52,777 views)
Missing $150,000 IAAF Grant: Solomon Dalung’s Hide and Seek game (52,652 views)
Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s solid footprints, commitment to sports development in Kano State (52,556 views)
NFF Presidency: Pinnick, Maigari, Ogunjobi, Okoye in Battle for Supremacy (52,072 views)
Olopade, BET9A wave of revolution in NNL (51,263 views)
Commonwealth Games 2018: Shame of Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Dalung (49,740 views)
Ibrahimovic’s Man U exit: Whose decision is it? And in whose interest? (48,223 views)
John Mikel Obi: Segun Odegbami’s Outrageous Call! (47,610 views)