It’s the final match day of the 2023-2024 NPFL season, Shooting Stars and Christian Pyagbara have one thing on their mind, to finish third in the league and get a ticket to the CAF Confederation’s Cup.
Standing in their way is Enyimba FC who are in third place, the last spot for continental teams.
Shooting Stars’ Continental Dream Between A Rock And A Hard Place
Actually, there are two things on their mind, two desires they would give anything in the world to achieve.
Firstly, beating relegation-threatened Sporting Lagos at the Lekan Salami Stadium. Secondly, pray and hope that Plateau United either draws or wins against Enyimba.
Arriving at the stadium, 3SC’s top scorer for the second phase of the season, Christian Pyagbara, was dressed in black cargo chinos, a sleek black tee, and stylish black boots.
Pyagbara has been the shining light for Shooting Stars, driving them up on the table from the eighth position halfway into the season to fourth on the last matchday with a rare chance to return to the continent 19 years after they last played.
Christian Pyagbara made his way into the tunnel heading towards the dressing room. He stopped and took a pose for the camera with a smile on his face. Afterward, he went into the dressing room to change and it was time for warm-up.
A quick warm-up showed Shooting Stars’ readiness for the big task ahead.
A Christian Pyagbara Goal Not Enough For Shooting’s Dreams
After 90 minutes and extra time, one of their two missions has been achieved, beating Sporting Lagos 1-0, courtesy of a goal in the thirty-sixth minute by Christian Pyagbara.
But, on the second desire, they fell short with Enyimba beating Plateau United 2-0 in Aba.
And that’s the end of the continental dream for the 23/24 season for Shooting Stars and Christian Pyagbara. But not to be broken Christian Pyagbara thanked the fans and moved close to the standing arena where he gave his jersey to a fan.
A happy fan but a not-so-happy Pyagbara and, by extension, Shooting Stars.
The 2020-24 season has been one for excitement and rolling back the years for the Oluyole Warriors in the Nigerian premier football league.
Christian Pyagbara And Gbenga Ogunbote: A Match Made In Sharks, Flourishing In Ibadan
Everything was down to their coach, Gbenga Ogunbote, who gave everything, and used all the skills in his arsenal to build a team that fought till the last day for a spot on the continent.
Ogunbote brought his trusted lieutenant who played under him 10 years earlier at Sharks FC to achieve the feat.
Christian Pyagbara and Gbenga Ogunbote are playing in the same club for the second time in the Nigerian Premier Football League. And once again, they did magic.
In 2014 while featuring for Sharks, the duo won the League Bloggers Association Award for Player and Coach for April.
For Pyagbara, he had to wait till mid-season before the only words he got to see him in action. Giving people a question, why was this gem kept on the bench for most of the first phase of the 2023-2024 season?
A certain Kareem Adeyemi was driving with goals so one could understand why he had been on the pitch.
Gbenga Ogunbote, The NPFL Oracle In Tune with The gods
Gbenga Ogunbote, he’s true to the Oracle. Time after time, club after club, he has demonstrated his ability to raise players back to their glory days.
This he did with Christian Pyagbara, who left the Nigerian league years ago, after taking the league by storm, setting records like scoring five goals in a game and pushing Edem Eduok for the league’s top goalscorer.
Afterward, he left for Greener Pastures.
But now that he’s back with Shooting Stars in the NPFL, he’s playing like he never left.
Match after match, he gave Shooting Stars lifelines, goals, and assists helping the fans know why they loved him.
The big question for now is.
Are we going to see one more season featuring Ogunbote and his trusted striker Christian Pyagbara playing for Shooting Stars in the NPFL?
That would be a sight to behold for the true Shooting Stars fans in the 2024-2025 season.
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