Hensen Demonstration School, Edo State defeated Asegun High School, Oyo State 4-3 on penalties in the final of the Zonal Preliminaries at the Ijebu-Ode Zone last Saturday, June 24 to qualify for the semifinal of the ongoing 19th NNPC/Shell Cup.
Ahmed Olowolagba’s long range strike gave the Oyo State side the lead just before the break but Emmanuel Michael well taken free-kick late in the second half ensured the game ended 1-1 in normal regulation period at the Ijebu Muslim College playground, Ijebu-Ode.
However, the Oyo State champions were only able to convert three of their five penalty kicks, while Edo State champions converted four of theirs to secure a ticket to the semifinals of the competition.
At the Uyo centre, Imo defeated Cross River 4-1 to book their semifinal slot, while in Katsina, Zamfara defeated FCT Abuja champions, Folsa Academy 2-0.
At the Bauchi centre, Borno defeated Niger 5-4 on penalties after playing goalless at normal regulation period.
The semifinals will come up at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos on Sunday, July 2, while the final will hold on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 at the same venue.
A total of N8.2m will be up for grabs by winners of at the end of the championship. In addition, two Most Valuable Players (MVPs) will be sent to Netherlands for coaching with Feyenoord Rotterdam Youth Academy.
The monetary gains will be towards the development of sports facilities in the top four schools at the end of the championship.
The first place winner will get N3.5m; second place winner to get N2.3m; third place winner to get N1.3m while the fourth place winner will get N1.1m.