Katsina United Hit Four Past Enyimba to Climb Into NPFL Top Six
Katsina United beat Enyimba 4-2 in Katsina, moving to sixth while bringing the Aba club's recent unbeaten sequence to an end.
Katsina United moved up to sixth place in the Nigeria Premier Football League after beating Enyimba 4-2 at Muhammadu Dikko Stadium on Friday, ending the visitors' run of three matches without defeat.
The Matchday Eight fixture began strongly for the home side. Katsina went ahead in the sixth minute when a mix-up involving Enyimba defender Emeka and goalkeeper Dede Dare ended with the ball going into the visitors' net. Six minutes later, Mubarak Sani added another goal to give Katsina a two-goal advantage early in the contest.
Luis Dadong increased the margin in the 58th minute, putting Enyimba three goals behind. The Aba side then responded with two goals and briefly threatened to recover from the deficit. Katsina, however, scored again in the 80th minute before Umar Rabi'u completed the 4-2 result with an individual effort.
The victory leaves Katsina United with 12 points after eight league matches. Enyimba remain on seven points from the same number of games and occupy 17th position in the standings.
Friday's defeat halted an improvement in Enyimba's recent form. Before travelling to Katsina, they had beaten Plateau United and Shooting Stars and drawn 0-0 with Kano Pillars. Those results followed four consecutive league defeats at the beginning of their campaign.
Enyimba assistant coach Lawrence Ukaegbu had spoken positively about the team's recovery before the match, pointing to the players' response and backing from supporters. The result in Katsina means the club will now have to rebuild momentum after that short unbeaten spell was stopped.
Katsina United also extended a strong home record in this fixture. According to the source, Enyimba have not beaten the Chanji Boys on their own ground since 2018.
The match additionally marked the return of Friday evening football under floodlights in the NPFL. Katsina's next assignment is an away trip to Kano Pillars on October 18, when they will look to build on the six-goal contest and their rise up the table.