Niger Tornadoes and Gombe United have gained promotion back to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) after playing out a goalless draw at the UNEC stadium on Saturday.
After garnering four points each from their first two games at the ongoing Nigeria National League (NNL) play-offs, both sides needed just a point to seal their promotion back to the top-flight for the first time since 2019.
Despite resting a host of its first team players, it was Tornadoes who were dominant and enjoyed large share of the ball possession. Meanwhile, chances were few and far between the two sides, as the game ended in a boring goalless draw.
In the other group A game, Elkanemi Warriors thumped DMD FC 3-0 courtesy of Ibrahim Mustapha’s hat-trick. But the win wasn’t enough to propel the Warriors into the top division after the other game had ended in a stalemate.
In the end, Tornadoes finished top of Group A with five points same as Gombe United, but with a better goal difference to book their place in Sunday’s final.
Tornadoes will now play the winners of Group B in the final while United will face the runner up of group B in a classification match at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium on Sunday.
By Samuel Areo in Enugu
Photo Credit: Sport Retina
