City Football Club of Abuja ended the group stage of the 2025 New Year Mega Lottery (NYML) Nationwide League One (NLO) Division One league was played at the Area 3 football pitch on a high note, defeating Paul Edel FC 2-0 in their final match on Thursday .
The win maintains City FC’s unbeaten run, concluding the group stage with six wins from six matches.
Ozor Franklin broke the deadlock in the 30th minute with a stunning goal inside the box, assisted by Maren Ezra. Henry David doubled the lead in the 40th minute with a clinical free kick.
City FC made several strategic substitutions during the match:
In the 46th minute,Ozor Franklin was substituted out and replaced by Dongs Sunday.
In the 69th minute,adouble substitution saw Abiola Adeyemi replace Ezra Maren, and Adeyemi Mogbademu replace Uche Johnson and added time, Goalkeeper Akabuike Williams was replaced by Adaelu Emmanuel.
These substitutions reflect City FC’s tactical approach to the game, ensuring a strong performance until the final whistle.
With this victory, City FC tops the group, boasting 25 goals scored and only five conceded, followed by Ahudiyannema FC with 17 goals, Crowned Academy, Warinjie FC and AVM football club having 18 goals.
The team’s performance has been impressive, with top scorers Franklin (9 goals), Uche Johnson (8 goals), and Obinna Awara (4 goals).
The win has generated excitement among fans, who were thrilled with the team’s performance.
City FC’s captain expressed gratitude to fans and players alike, congratulating them on their efforts.
City FC has completed the group stage with a flawless record, winning all six matches.
Their impressive performance includes:Matchday 1:7-1 thrashing of Black Scorpion FC,
Matchday 2: 6-2 demolition of Angelican FC,Matchday 3 : 2-1 win over Police Machine FC
Matchday 4 :5-1 thrashing of Beautiful Tour FC,Matchday 5 :3-0 win over Bussdor United FC
and Matchday 6: 2-0 win over Paul Edel FC (latest match)
With another clean sheet in their final match, City FC tops the group, showcasing their dominance and consistency throughout the group stage.
City FC now looks forward to the next stage of the competition, competing for promotion to the Nigeria National League (NNL).
City FC, Police FC, Mailantarki Care FC, FWC champion FC, Anglican FC, EFCC FC, Woodpecker FC are among the teams playing at the Area 3 centre in Abuja.
Others are, Bussdors united FC, Paul Edel FC, public complaints commission (PCC) FC, Derby FC, Beautiful tour FC, Black Scorpion FC, and Supreme Court FC.
A total of 32 teams from across the country are competing for promotion to the Nigeria National League (NNL) , which started on April 16 to July 30.