Ikorodu City — Barau FC, NPFL

Ikorodu City and Baravu played out a goalless draw in the National Professional Football League's fourth round on Saturday. The result leaves the hosts sixth on four points from two games, while Baravu remain second with seven points after three matches. We had tipped Ikorodu for victory with fifty-five per cent confidence, but the match refused to bend in either direction.

By then you could see it was going to be a battle for territory rather than chances. The home side kept sixty per cent of possession and threw up nine corners, but the final ball never came. Baravu offered little in return—two shots on target across the full ninety minutes and a corner to show for their efforts. And here's the thing: when neither side can find the right pass, the game collapses into set-pieces and yellow cards.

To be fair, the officials had plenty to do. The first booking came at thirty-three minutes, followed by another five minutes later. A third arrived after the break, then a fourth in the eighty-fifth. The fifth and final caution landed in stoppage time. Five yellows for a game with zero goals says more about frustration than football.

Ikorodu registered 136 attacks against Baravu's 97, but shots tell a different story. Three on target from the home side, two from the visitors—neither keeper faced a genuine test. The old head settled them down, perhaps, or maybe the pitch simply refused to give anything away. Either way, the table goes out of the window in these games.

The result extends Baravu's unbeaten run but does nothing to close the gap at the top. Ikorodu picked up a point they might have expected more from, especially after that 2-2 draw between the sides in June. Points are points, and neither side has much to complain about—though we should have been right about the hosts.