Abia Warriors remain determined in the NPFL race for continental football after a strong performance that ended their poor run of form.
Head coach Imama Amapakabo believes his team can still fight for a return to African interclub football despite the pressure of the closing league stages.
Abia Warriors End Winless Run With Fighting Spirit in NPFL Campaign
The club showed character with a 1–0 victory over Kwara United in Aba.
The win helped Abia Warriors boost confidence and stay close to the top teams in the league table.
With 11 games left in the 2025/2026 NPFL season, the club still believes qualification for CAF interclub football is possible. The result also ended a frustrating period where results had not gone their way.
Abia Warriors snapped a five-game winless run thanks to a key goal from Casmir Azubuike in the 29th minute. His strike proved enough to secure three points and lift team morale as the season approaches the final stretch.
“It’s nice to get back to winning ways after what seemed like a ‘forever’ winless run. We needed the win. It has been a difficult second round of the 2025/2026 season for us,” he said.
The coach explained that the team had struggled with consistency during the second half of the campaign.
Abia Warriors had gone five games without a win, recording two defeats and three draws. Amapakabo explained that wastefulness in attack was part of the problem.
“Having done so very well, especially in the opposition’s attacking third, we’ve been too individualistic and too wasteful. We’ve worked on that, and I think this victory will help the players regain self-belief in their abilities,” he said.
CAF Interclub Football Dreams Still Alive for Abia Warriors
The victory strengthened Abia Warriors’ push for a top-three finish and possible qualification for the 2026/2027 CAF interclub competition.
Amapakabo remains optimistic about the remaining matches, saying the league race is still wide open.
“It’s our aspiration and ambition to get back to the continent at the end of the season, possibly with a top-three finish,” he said.
The team currently sits in 5th position with 43 points, just two points behind league leaders Ikorodu City.
The coach also stressed that Abia Warriors must keep chasing the league leaders. He said the team will continue fighting in every match as they prepare to face El-Kanemi Warriors in their next NPFL fixture.