Plateau United took three points from Shooting Stars at home in the fourth round of the National Professional Football League on Saturday. The hosts secured a 3:1 victory over the visitors in front of a sell-out crowd. It was a result that kept the home side's modest ambitions alive while leaving Shooting Stars searching for consistency.
A. Taheer opened the scoring in the fifteenth minute, catching the defence off guard. and here's the thing — that early goal set the tone for everything that followed. Shooting Stars pushed back hard, but Plateau United camped in the final third and made life difficult for the away defence. The visitors had to contend with seven offsides calls as they tried to find their rhythm.
Shooting Stars pulled one back in the fiftieth minute through J. Ibrahim, and suddenly the game felt open again. The away side threw bodies forward, but Plateau United saw the game out with composure. We had called for a home win beforehand, and the confidence we placed in them was justified by the way they controlled the tempo. by then, the momentum had shifted firmly back to the hosts.
S. Jackson restored the two-goal cushion in the seventy-first minute, and the match was effectively settled. The visitors added an eighth goal in the eighty-seventh minute, a late flourish that meant little in the broader context. Four yellow cards were shown across the second half as tensions ran high. Plateau United did not travel to make up the numbers — they came to win and did not let the tie slip.
The statistics tell the story of a game where quality edged quantity. Plateau United registered 129 attacks compared to 119 for the visitors, while holding 53 per cent possession. Shots on target were 7 to 3 in favour of the hosts, and they won 7 corners to 3. The away side had more throw-ins — 26 to 22 — but could not translate that into meaningful chances.
The result leaves Plateau United in eleventh place with four points from three games. Shooting Stars remain in fourteenth after just one match, sitting on three points with a goal difference yet to be tested. The home side showed they can compete against the league's more established outfits, and the confidence from this performance may carry them forward.
