Enyimba wins record 9th NPFL title

Enyimba International FC on Sunday, June 11, emerged champions of the 2022/2023 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

Defending champions, Rivers United lost their title following a 1-1 draw with Enyimba at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena on Lagos Island.

Ekene Awazie gave Enyimba the lead in the 39th minute. However, Nyima Nwagua restored parity for Rivers United, three minutes after returning from the halftime break.

Rivers needed a win to retain their title, but their firepower in the second half was met by a resilient Enyimba defence. As a result, they dropped to third position on the table with nine points and will manage a place in the CAF Confederation Cup.

Sunday’s victory means the Aba-based club has now won the NPFL Super-Six playoffs nine times. They won by a superior +4 goals advantage and were presented with N100 million prize money.

Surprisingly, Remo Stars finished second on the log with 9 points but with a better goal difference than Rivers United and will fly the Nigerian flag at the 2023/24 CAF Champions League, alongside Enyimba FC.

Sunshine Stars recorded their only win of the playoffs after defeating Lobi Stars 3-1. Stephen Chukwude opened the scoring for Sunshine 22 minutes into the match. The victory moved Sunshine Stars to fourth on the table, while Lobi Stars, with only two points and without a win in the tournament, finished at the bottom of the table in the sixth position.

Bendel Insurance dropped to fifth on the log and will be looking forward to picking a continental ticket during a match against Rangers International in the final of the 2023 Federation Cup.

Enyimba’s last title before this was during the abridged season in 2019 when they won the playoffs with 12 points.

The People’s Elephant won their first-ever NPFL title in 2001, followed by back-to-back titles in 2002 and 2003. They added their fourth and fifth NPFL titles in 2005 and 2006, respectively, before bagging the sixth and seventh in 2010 and 2015.