2025 Gold Cup: FC Ebedei stuns Sunshine Stars; Stormers and Ekiti United settle for a draw
FC Ebedei kicked off their 2025 Gold Cup campaign in style, defeating former champions Sunshine Stars 2-0 in the final MatchDay 1 fixture of the pre season tournament.
The win marked a historic moment for the Oliseh Boys, who claimed their first opening day victory in 12 editions of the competition.
Joseph Okuaghaare opened the scoring in the 5th minute with a clinical finish that shook the Sunshine Stars early on. Just 12 minutes later, the match took a dramatic turn when Chinoso Okonkwo was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge inside the box, earning the tournament’s first red card of its 13th edition.
Kennedy John stepped up and coolly slotted the resulting penalty into the bottom corner, doubling FC Ebedei’s lead and sealing the win.
Despite being a man down, Sunshine Stars showed grit but couldn’t crack the disciplined Ebedei defense. The result propelled the Oliseh Boys to the top of their group, edging past Sporting Lagos on goal difference.
Meanwhile, in another tightly contested fixture, Stormers SC and Ekiti United battled to a draw, each side unable to find a breakthrough in a tense encounter.
Over in Group B, Crown FC made a statement with a commanding 2-0 victory over Seamoriowo FC of Lagos, securing the top spot in their group.
