Plateau United’s ambition to participate in the super six fixtures for the Nigeria Professional Football League title was scuttled at the new stadium in jos with visiting Remo Stars stunning the highlanders with a 2-1 away victory.
In a fiercely contested encounter for one of the slots in the group; the visitors’ late strikes from Adams Olalekan and Adebayo Olalekan ensured that the Stars outshone the Highlanders in their backyard to inflict another home defeat since 2021 when Kwara United ran away with a 2-0 victory in December 2021.
Expectations were high from the Plateau supporters for a routing of the visitors but met a resistance in the visitors who stood their ground defending stoutly with occasional breakaway counter attacks that caught Fidelis Ilechukwu boys unaware.
The traditional Daniel Itodo long throw was effectively curtailed by the Remo defence nodding out the numerous throw in to secure a clean sheet in the first half of the encounter.
Saidu Salisu strike inside the box gave the highlanders the lead in the 70th as the goal stunned the visitors who became more adventurous upfront mounting pressure until the Plateau defence caved in for the equaliser from Adams Olalekan, punishing a careless defence to level scores for the visitors in the 81st.
As the game was wounding down, Olalekan Adebayo sealed victory for the visitors with a long range strike that left Plateau keeper stranded for the winner in the 88th.
The victory in Jos placed Remo Stars in the third position with 30 points and Plateau United in the fifth with 25 points in Group A of the abridged league.
