The much-anticipated football match between the team of Lagos businessman, Suraj Oyewale, tagged Jarus FC and a selected team of his Twitter mutual ended in a thrilling 4-3 in favour of the self-acclaimed “deadly striker” team.
The match, which held in Campos Mini Stadium on Saturday, saw Oyewale who organised the match to show his striking prowess and football abilities, keep his N5m stake, despite not scoring in the encounter.
Oyewale’s inability to score meant the two goalkeepers fielded by Twitter FC went home with N1m (N500,000 each), just as Oyewale also missed out on the promised N200,000 per goal if he scored in the game.
Earlier before the game, the First-Class Obafemi Awolowo University graduate of Economics had boasted to score at least a goal or two and win the game to show that his team are not made of plumbers and carpenters as believed by his critics.
He also noted that the idea behind the match was to prove to everyone that no team selected in a hurry without appropriate training would give optimal pitch performance.
Despite scooping all the sponsorships ahead of the game, Oyewale failed to win the one by a corporate body, Sycamore Nigeria, which donated N200,000 to Jarus for every goal scored, as he couldn’t hit past the Twitter goalkeeper despite his team’s triumph.
The match led by content creator, Chukwudike Akuwudike, also known as Dikeh, showed that Twitter FC team was not hurriedly put together as the players showed cohesion and composure against their semi-professional opponents, who were captained by Oyewale.
The teeming fans didn’t wait too long for the first goal of the game, as Jarus FC drew the first blood midway through the first half with a poker from a quick throw-in.
But the lead didn’t last long as Twitter FC responded within minutes to make it 1-1.
UNILAG first-class graduate, Hakeem Onitolo, thought he had given Twitter FC the lead some moments later, but his left-footed strike was ruled out for a foul in the build-up after he muscled two defenders before slotting home.
Thirty minutes into the game, Twitter FC were undone by another deadball situation and found themselves 2-1 down from a corner kick.
There was no denying Onitolo again, however, as the centre-forward capitalised on a defensive mix-up by Jarus FC to smash home the second goal for Twitter FC to equal the score 2-2.
There was still time for more goals in the end-to-end first half as Jarus FC scored two goals in quick succession to take a 4-2 lead. A cross was turned in at the far post for 3-2 while a Twitter FC keeper howler saw Jarus FC go up 4-2.
At the other end, the undeterred Twitter FC pulled one back before halftime from a direct free kick to make the scoreline 4-3 going into the break.
There were changes from both sides in the second 45 minutes and that resulted in a tightened backline with chances few and far between.
Recall that Oyewale had organised this match after some of his mutual on the X platform dragged him for playing with a conglomerate of carpenters and plumbers.
They maintained that his goals came so easily because of the lack of competence and the unprofessional level of the players he played against.
Countering their claims, he said, “For those who mock my football videos and say my players are carpenters and plumbers, I have a challenge.
“If you beat my team, take N5million as a prize. If you can’t beat my team, money gets returned to me. If you see a draw, go with a N1m prize. N4m gets returned to me. Players must be my followers or those who have doubted my football abilities. You have to show evidence,” he wrote.
Although there were selection crises emanating from Twitter FC’s end when the team list of 20-man was compiled among the over 1000 people that showed interests but the football enthusiast quelled the issue and made sure that the match hold as planned.
