​‌‌‍​⁠​‍⁠⁠‍‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠​‌​By Kelu Musa

MOP Stars FC on Thursday defeated Sir-P FC 5-4 on penalties in the knockout  stage of the 2026 FCT Football Association (FA) Division Two League  to secure promotion to the  Division One  League.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two teams traded tackles at the Area 3 Football Pitch in Abuja.

Both teams failed to find the back of the net during regulation time, forcing the encounter into a penalty shoot-out where MOP Stars  carried the day.

MOP Stars had topped its group with 15 goals from four matches to qualify for the knockout stage of the competition.

Speaking after the match, Dr Suleiman Adejoh, President of MOP Stars Football Academy, commended his players for their performance and adherence to instructions.

“The performance is top-notch. The adherence to instruction was 100 per cent. This has shown that attention to detail has been expressed deeply in today’s game,” he said.

Adejoh said Sir-P FA had improved considerably after losing 4-2 to MOP Stars in their previous encounter.

“We were able to beat them 4-2 in the previous match. They went back and did their homework very well,” he said.

He said the improved performance of their opponents made the encounter more challenging, but commended his players for maintaining concentration during the penalty shoot-out.

Also speaking, MOP stars fc Coach, Akinwale Taophic, expressed excitement over the victory, saying he had adequately prepared his players for the encounter.

He said the team expected a strong response from Sir-P FC following its 4-2 defeat in their previous meeting.

“We told them that since we have won these guys, they are like a wounded lion. They were going to come out in full force against us,” he said.

Taophic said the team’s training emphasised mental toughness and resilience to prepare the players for challenges in competitive football.

“There’s something they call tough mentality; you can see it in the game. They put it from the beginning of the game to the end,” he said.

He congratulated the players on securing promotion to division one, saying the achievement reflected their determination.

On his part, captain of the team, Edeh Ernest, thanked God for the victory, describing the team’s performance as satisfactory despite some lapses.

“Firstly, we give thanks to God for giving us victory in the game. Though there were some lapses, the performance was okay,” he said.

Ernest said the players were pleased to emerge victorious despite the challenges encountered during the match.

NAN also reports that the 2026 FCT FA division two league, which commenced on Sept. 8, features 28 teams competing for promotion to division one.(NAN)

Edited by Joshua Olomu