Ijegun Joint CDA Football League: Ijegun Central, Olorunsogo, Abanise and Ifelodun Qualify For Semi-Final

At the highly competitive matches that took place on Saturday, November 18, 2023, at the praying field in the ongoing Ijegun Joint Community Development Association (IJCDA) football League, Ijegun Central CDA, Olorunsogo CDA, Abanise CDA, and Ifelodun CDA Football Teams have qualified for the semi-final of the championship.

The four teams defeated their opponents during the four quarter-final matches.

During the first match of the day between Ijegun Central CDA and Irede CDA, Ijegun Central CDA Football Team scored six goals against Irede CDA Team who scored four goals.

Although Irede CDA Boys had their first goal few minutes into the game, Ijegun  Central CDA Team did not allow the ovation that greeted the Irede Boys goal to go down when they equalized within two minutes to bring the score line to 1-1.

The same thing repeated when Irede Boys scored their second goal. The first half of the match ended three goals to two in favour of Ijegun Central.

When hostilities resumed in second half, Ijegun Central Boys overpowered their opponents forcing them to concede three more goals. Irede CDA Team bounced back ten minuets to the end of the match and scored twice to increase their goals to four.

The second match of the day was between Afurugbin CDA Team and the Olorunsogo CDA Boys.  The match ended in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw at regulation time with Olorunsogo Boys winning the penalties by five goals against Afurugbin CDA Football Team  who scored three goals.

The third match which featured Abanise CDA Football Team versus Irewodele CDA Boys was one of the most interesting matches as the two teams displayed high level football artistry combined with high technical knowledge.

Although the match ended in penalty after a 2-2 draw at the end of regulation time with Abanise CDA Team winning by 10 goals, Afurugbin CDA Boys who scored nine goals, was never a push over. They gave a good account of themselves.

The last match of the day was between Kudeyibu CDA Team and Ifelodun CDA Boys. It was another interesting match. Both teams played so well but at the end Ifelodun Boys carried the day with one goal scored in the middle of the second half.

Captains of the winning teams who spoke to our Correspondent expressed excitement about the victory and promised to work hard to win the championship.

“The only plan I have now is for me and my team to continue to train very hard to be able to win the trophy. We are leaving no stone unturned in quest to be the champion,” John, one of the captains said.

“For now our focus is to win this championship and we are training so well n this regard. Today we have qualified for semifinal, after this match we are going to do a review to know our weak point in order to make necessary adjustments,” Sampson said.

In an interview with our Correspondent, the Chairman of the Planning Committee of the Ijegun Joint CDA Week, Pastor Seun Alfred and that of the Local Organising Committee, Mr Opeyemi Hakeem, expressed satisfaction with the behaviour of the Chairmen and representatives of all the participating CDAs and their Football Teams as well as that of the match officials.

According to Mr Opeyemi, So far, so good we are satisfied with the quality of the competition and the level of officiating as demonstrated by all match officials that is why we have never experienced any major problem since we started. As the competition progresses, we will keep improving because there is always room for improvement.

Pastor Alfred speaking on the behaviour of the supporters and Chairmen of the participating CDAs said “from the beginning of this tournament, the CDA chairmen have demonstrated a high sense of commitment to ensure the success of the championship.”

“Also, we have a very cooperating and understanding supporters and spectators and that’s is why, as you can see by yourself, there is no police or any law enforcement personnel to control the crowd, still there is orderliness. Our teams and their supporters know the rules and regulations governing the game and they adhered strictly to those rules.”