{"id":908128,"date":"2026-05-25T10:13:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T15:13:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/25\/npfl-shooting-stars-make-history-ilechukwu-outshines-finidi-as-rangers-secure-title-on-final-day\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T10:13:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T15:13:26","slug":"npfl-shooting-stars-make-history-ilechukwu-outshines-finidi-as-rangers-secure-title-on-final-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/25\/npfl-shooting-stars-make-history-ilechukwu-outshines-finidi-as-rangers-secure-title-on-final-day\/","title":{"rendered":"NPFL: Shooting Stars make history, Ilechukwu outshines Finidi, as Rangers secure title on final day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer <\/p>\n

\n

Enugu Rangers have emerged as champions of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) following a hard-fought 2-1 victory away at Ikorodu City on the final day of the season, Soccernet.ng<\/a> reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u200bGoing into Gameweek 38, Rangers held their fate in their own hands with a slim one-point lead over Rivers United at the summit of the table.<\/p>\n

\u200bTo secure the title, they needed a victory. However, playing away against an Ikorodu City side that was also chasing continental football meant it was expected to be a daunting task.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Ikorodu City during the NPFL. Photo by: Imagox Jamiu Olarewaju <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u200bNevertheless, Fidelis Ilechukwu and his boys defied the odds to claim a 2-1 win. Chidiebere Nwobodo scored a brilliant brace, ensuring that Moses Bada\u2019s 58th-minute strike for the hosts was merely a consolation.<\/p>\n

\u200bMeanwhile, Finidi George’s Rivers United side secured a comfortable 3-0 home victory against Katsina United, courtesy of goals from Chijioke Mbaoma and Aniekeme Okon. <\/p>\n

Ultimately, it was not enough, as Ilechukwu\u2019s men had already sealed the title in Lagos. Rangers finished the season at the top with 68 points, while Rivers United finished just behind on 67.<\/p>\n

\u200bCoach Finidi and his side will now have to settle for a spot in the CAF Champions League qualifiers.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Shooting Stars lineup during the NPFL 26\u2032. Copyright: ImagoxAdeniyixMuyiwax<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u200bAway from the title race, there was a fierce battle for the final CAF Confederation Cup spot between Shooting Stars and Ikorodu City. Recall that the top two teams qualify for the Champions League, while the third-placed team and the FA Cup winner secure continental tickets.<\/p>\n

\u200bThe Oluyole Warriors held a two-point advantage over Ikorodu City for third place, but they still needed a victory away at Niger Tornadoes to guarantee qualification.<\/p>\n

\u200bIn an interesting turn of events, both teams lost. Shooting Stars suffered a 1-0 defeat against Niger Tornadoes. However, because Ikorodu City also lost their match, the Ibadan-based club retained third place, finishing the campaign with 60 points.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

\u200bThis achievement ensures that Shooting Stars qualify for continental football for the first time since 1999<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Soccer \u200bRemo Stars Relegated from NPFL, Kano Pillars Survive<\/h2>\n

\u200bIn a shocking twist, reigning NPFL champions Remo Stars have been relegated following a disastrous campaign.<\/p>\n

\u200bNeeding a victory against Bendel Insurance in their final game to stay up, the Sky Blue Stars could only manage a 1-1 draw. Consequently, they finished level on points with Kwara United but were relegated due to an inferior goal difference.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Remo Stars line-up during the NPFL 26\u2032 Copyright: ImagoxAdeniyixMuyiwax<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u200bThis marks a massive regression for a club widely regarded as one of the best-run sports organizations in the country.<\/p>\n

\u200bRemo Stars are joined in relegation by El-Kanemi Warriors, Bayelsa United, and Wikki Tourists.<\/p>\n

\u200bHad Remo Stars and El-Kanemi won their respective matches against Bendel Insurance and Enyimba, Kano Pillars\u2014who finished just one point above the drop zone\u2014would have been relegated following their 1-0 loss at Plateau United.<\/p>\n

\u200bWhile Enyimba, Kun Khalifat FC, Warri Wolves, and Niger Tornadoes were all heavily entangled in the relegation scrap, they were able<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>Kelvin Omachonu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Soccer Enugu Rangers have emerged as champions of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) following a hard-fought 2-1 victory away at Ikorodu City on the final day of the season, Soccernet.ng reports. \u200bGoing into Gameweek 38, Rangers held their fate in their own hands with a slim one-point lead over Rivers United at the summit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":908129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2335,2005,913],"tags":[7256,10511],"class_list":{"0":"post-908128","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-shooting","8":"category-soccer","9":"category-stars","10":"tag-shooting","11":"tag-stars"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=908128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908128\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/908129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=908128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=908128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=908128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}