Nigerian champions, Kano Pillars, defeated Ghana’s Olympic team 1-0 at the Accra stadium in a warm-up match on Saturday.
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Rabiu Ali scored the winner for the Kano club just three minutes past the hour mark to ensure they finished their pre-season tour of Ghana with a win.
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Kano Pillars head coach, Okey Emordi, stuck to the same attacking pair of Christian Obiozor and Gambo Muhammed who played in the game against Hearts of Oak.
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Both teams fired blanks in the opening half of the match but in the 63rd minute, Ghana defender Kwasi Quansah stopped a goal-bound effort inside his own box and was subsequently sent off leaving the Black Meteors to finish the match with 10 men.
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Ali, who had faced the same Ghana under-23s while featuring for a Nigerian team of locally-based players in the November at the Akwa Ibom Stadium, stepped up and dispatched the ball from 12 yards to give Kano Pillars the lead.
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The game produced no more goals and Emordi said he believes his team are getting into shape for the new season.
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“This is a good experience for the team though it is a friendly. The win is good for the team’s confidence and we will continue our build-up for the new season especially our Champions League game in the coming weekend,” Emordi told supersport.com.
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Kano Pillars are expected to return to Nigeria on Sunday or Monday to finalise their trip to South Sudan, where they face Al-Malakia FC in the first leg, preliminary round of the Caf Champions League on the weekend of February 13, 14 and 15.
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The Nigerian champions will play hosts to the South Sudanese club on March 1 in Kano.
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