By David Osunwa
The Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall Freshers team have continued their impressive run in the 2025 Inter-Hall Freshers’ Cup with a commanding 2–0 win over Sultan Bello Hall on Matchday 2, strengthening their position as serious title contenders.
Coming off a resounding 4–1 victory against Kenneth Mellanby Hall, Zik Hall entered the game brimming with confidence, and this was evident right from kick-off. The highly anticipated clash began at exactly 4:13 p.m. at the Old SUB Pitch and quickly developed into a contest between Zik Hall’s technical flair and Sultan Bello’s physical dominance.
Zik Hall’s attacking intent was evident early on, nearly paying off in the 14th minute when a stunning reflex save from the Sultan Bello goalkeeper denied what looked like a certain opener. The pressure was finally rewarded in the 20th minute when Zik Hall broke the deadlock with a beautifully crafted goal, sending the crowd on the sidelines into raptures. The first half, largely dominated by Zik’s fluid attacking play, ended with the Baluba Cubs leading by a lone goal.
The second half picked up right where the first left off, marked by relentless tempo and end-to-end action. In a moment of drama, Zik Hall were reduced to ten men twelve minutes after the restart, when a defender received a straight red card for a last-man foul. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Zik remained composed and resilient.
This composure was well rewarded eight minutes later when offensive midfielder Tiamiyu Ilyas fired a low drive into the bottom right corner, effectively sealing the victory and sending the crowd into celebration.
With two wins from two and six goals scored across both games, Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall now sit comfortably at the top of their group, with a place in the semi-finals secured. If these early performances are anything to go by, the team from Baluba may well be on course to reclaim Freshers’ Cup glory.
