{"id":711,"date":"2026-05-20T12:19:56","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T09:19:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/npfl-big-guns-advance-in-presidents-federation-cup-upsets-rock-round-of-64\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T12:19:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T09:19:56","slug":"npfl-big-guns-advance-in-presidents-federation-cup-upsets-rock-round-of-64","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/npfl-big-guns-advance-in-presidents-federation-cup-upsets-rock-round-of-64\/","title":{"rendered":"NPFL Big Guns Advance in President\u2019s Federation Cup, Upsets Rock Round of 64"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The 2026 President\u2019s Federation Cup Round of 64 brought plenty of tension across the country on Tuesday, with several clubs from the Nigeria Premier Football League booking their places in the last 32. There were also standout moments for lower-tier teams, who made their mark with resolute performances and, in some cases, brave penalty displays.<\/p>\n<h3>Quick facts from the Round of 64<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Rangers International beat Godswill Akpabio FC 1-0.<\/li>\n<li>Enyimba crushed El-Shama FC 4-0.<\/li>\n<li>Akwa United defeated Wilbros FC 3-0, with Aniebiet Sunday scoring twice.<\/li>\n<li>Rivers United won 2-0 against G12 FC; Iyowuna Douglas opened the scoring and Chijioke Mbaoma added the second.<\/li>\n<li>Nasarawa United overcame Westgate FC 3-1 at the Anyigba Sports Complex in Kogi State.<\/li>\n<li>Bendel Insurance advanced after beating Katsina United Junior Team 2-1.<\/li>\n<li>Ikorodu City thrashed Gaa Akanbi FC 4-0, with Chidera Oparocha netting a hat-trick.<\/li>\n<li>Sapele Lions drew Katsina United 2-2 before winning 4-2 on penalties.<\/li>\n<li>Sunshine Stars U19 edged Niger Tornadoes 2-1.<\/li>\n<li>Kwara United won a shootout against Sporting Supreme U19 after a 2-2 draw, 4-2 on penalties.<\/li>\n<li>Adamawa United progressed by defeating Agbana Wonderful FA 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.<\/li>\n<li>El-Kanemi Warriors beat Krusaders FC 1-0.<\/li>\n<li>Flight FC overcame Adamawa Academy 2-1.<\/li>\n<li>Gombe United advanced via a 3-0 walkover against YSFON Stars.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Rangers International continued their campaign with a narrow 1-0 success over Godswill Akpabio FC. Enyimba, meanwhile, delivered the most convincing showing of the day, overwhelming El-Shama FC 4-0 to send a clear message ahead of the next round.<\/p>\n<p>Akwa United also produced a ruthless display, defeating Wilbros FC 3-0. Aniebiet Sunday was the standout performer, scoring twice: he broke the deadlock in the 28th minute after Nsikak Raphael\u2019s corner, then doubled the advantage in the 35th minute by converting Paulinus Okon\u2019s assist.<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere, Rivers United registered a 2-0 win over G12 FC. Iyowuna Douglas struck first, and veteran forward Chijioke Mbaoma sealed the outcome in the 77th minute.<\/p>\n<h3>Kogi State hosts late drama<\/h3>\n<p>At the Anyigba Sports Complex in Kogi State, Nasarawa United put on an entertaining display as they defeated Westgate FC 3-1. Ugochukwu Leonard gave Nasarawa the lead in the 41st minute, Sam Pam made it 2-0 three minutes later, and Salomon Chigoziem added the third deep into stoppage time.<\/p>\n<p>Elegbede Festus scored a late consolation for the visitors, but it was not enough to prevent Nasarawa from moving on.<\/p>\n<p>Bendel Insurance also advanced with a 2-1 win over Katsina United Junior Team. Barau FC followed suit by defeating Zamfara United 2-0, with goals coming from Muhammad Umar and Sunday Anthony.<\/p>\n<p>Ikorodu City produced one of the most emphatic results of the Round of 64, dismantling Gaa Akanbi FC 4-0. Chidera Oparocha was the star attraction, grabbing a hat-trick to power his side into the next stage.<\/p>\n<h3>Penalty shootouts and shock results<\/h3>\n<p>Some of the round\u2019s biggest surprises arrived through dramatic late outcomes. Sapele Lions FC held Katsina United to a 2-2 draw before triumphing 4-2 on penalties.<\/p>\n<p>In another notable tie, Sunshine Stars U19 edged past Niger Tornadoes 2-1. Kwara United also needed nerve as they were held 2-2 by Sporting Supreme U19, only to win the shootout 4-2.<\/p>\n<p>Adamawa United went the distance from the spot as well, defeating Agbana Wonderful FA 5-4 after a 1-1 stalemate. El-Kanemi Warriors and Flight FC also progressed, beating Krusaders FC 1-0 and Adamawa Academy 2-1 respectively.<\/p>\n<p>There was also a walkover as Gombe United advanced through a 3-0 result against YSFON Stars.<\/p>\n<p>Bendel Insurance 2-1 Katsina United Jnr<\/p>\n<p>Wikki Tourists 2-0 Jigawa Golden Stars<\/p>\n<p>Adamawa United 1-1 Agbana Wonderful FA<\/p>\n<p>*Adamawa United win 5-4 on penalties<\/p>\n<p>El-Kanemi Warriors 1-0 Krusaders FC<\/p>\n<p>Sunshine Stars U19 2-1 Niger Tornadoes<\/p>\n<p>Gombe United 3-0 YSFON Stars (walkover)<\/p>\n<p>*Sapele Lions win 4-2 on penalties)<\/p>\n<p>Godswill Akpabio FC 0-1 Rangers Int\u2019l<\/p>\n<p>Kwara United 2-2 Sporting Supreme U19<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2026 President\u2019s Federation Cup Round of 64 brought plenty of tension across the country on Tuesday, with several clubs from the Nigeria Premier Football League booking their places in the last 32. There were also standout moments for lower-tier teams, who made their mark with resolute performances and, in some cases, brave penalty displays. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"NPFL Clubs Shine as Upsets Hit in President\u2019s Cup","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"NPFL giants roar into the last 32 as President\u2019s Federation Cup upsets shake the Round of 64\u2014see key results, shocks, and penalty ","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>NPFL Clubs Shine as Upsets Hit in President\u2019s Cup<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"NPFL giants roar into the last 32 as President\u2019s 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